Sunrise
by trinity531
Summary: As Natsu is haunted by nightmares of losing Lisanna again, Lucy fights the emotional turmoil of losing her best friend who she believes was never hers to own. A terrifying accident occurs as Team Natsu and Lisanna are on a mission. What will happen as Lucy's heart stops? Is it the end? And what does Carla's vision mean? What does Mavis know? Do fairies have tails? You'll enjoy it.
1. Dawn and Darkness

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**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

Morning of:

Lucy was in bed. She was uncomfortable and hot as someone was squeezing her down from behind. She slowly opened her eyes to see her usual room and realized Natsu's arms were around her. It is still early morning and the sun had not risen. Then she heard Natsu whimper..

" Lisanna… "

Her eyes shot wide open. She feels a stab of pain at her heart. Had she heard right.

"Lisanna… lisanna.."

now her eyes were frozen wide open.. tears began to fall. Feeling unable to breath.. and pain shooting through her chest.. she tried her best to get out of bed without waking natsu up. She quickly went to the restroom closed the door and locked it. Sliding down the door to sit down as her legs loose strength. Hands to her mouth, she cries. After calming down and finding her breath again.. She knew she needed to get out of her apartment. She quickly showers and gets changed. Gets her things that she needs for the mission that they had for that day.

She walked out into the empty streets sun yet to rise. With her mind racing, she finds herself walking towards an empty park. She sits down on a bench with her pack propped up next to her. The air is a little chilly. But she needed this. The morning cold and silence to calm her.

She knew Natsu had a relationship with Lisanna before her death but now that she was back, their relationship would no longer be on hiatus. He wasn't Lucy's to being with but why was she so upset.. Her eyes rose from the ground to a light shining on the horizon.

It was sunrise.

Lucy smiled at the warmth of the sun on her face and closed her eyes to enjoy the moment. The sunlight slowly lit her from head to toe as she sat on the bench. It would be a long day and she needed this moment to herself. For in fact, it was the first time team Natsu would go on a mission with Lisanna. Wendy was gone to train with Gajeel to train her dragon slayer skills and Lisanna had asked to come join. Lucy felt guilty as she felt uneasy from Lisanna joining the team and she fought to put the emotions of turmoil aside. Taking a deep breath, she told herself, one day at a time.

* * *

He was in his sweats that morning, running along the streets of Magnolia for his morning exercise. The sun had not come up yet and he knew no one would be out at this hour. Listening to his sound pod he ran up towards a park. He stopped dead in his tracks. Eyes gazing wide, he noticed that someone was sitting on a bench in the shadows. In the corner of his eye, he saw light shining and he turned his head to watch the beginning of the morning's sunrise.

He turned his head back to gaze at the mysterious figure sitting on the bench and saw as his heart thumped a little faster… sunlight slowly illuminated a girl from head to toe. She had her eyes closed as the sunlight hit her smiling face. Her blonde hair lit up with the sunlight and he knew…

it was Lucy. She was smiling.. but it was a forced smile..

What in the world was she doing…

He slowly turned around and ran away from her. Not wanting to disturb her. He reached his home in the woods and before he closed the door behind him.. He couldn't help but feel something was going wrong. He shrugged the feeling aside and went to shower.

* * *

Lucy dodged the blasts from the bombs being thrown around her. For the mission, they had to capture dark guild mages camping out in some caverns. Natsu lisanna and lucy had managed to corner the last mage at the end of the cave's tunnel and Natsu's fires were giving the sole source of light to the fight. Gray was busy with his own mage further towards the entrance while Erza was fighting a mage outside the caves. Lisanna was trying her best to dodge the attacks from the dark guild mage and was finding herself scared as the cave was pretty dark. Lucy had summoned out Virgo and she was trying her best to help Natsu before she got hit by a dark bomb and disappeared.

The mage lunged towards Lucy and Natsu had already anticipated it and met to grab Lucy by the waist and push her out of harms way. As he held her, the dark mage smirked and looked towards Lisanna and threw a dark bomb her way. Lisanna had dodged the bomb well but the blast had pushed her into some rocks that scraped her legs and back. She screamed out in pain in the dark. Natsu's eyes widened and he shifted directions. Thoughts of Lisanna's previous death and being haunted of losing her again...

He let go of Lucy's waist midair as she was sailing backwards while watching him let go. He found ground and lunged towards Lisanna's end of the cave.

However Lucy was still sailing to the other end of the cave and then the dark mage blocked her view of Natsu and grinned. A red glint in his eyes and he held out his hand. From the moment Natsu let go, Lucy's eyes widened and her heart sank. Her worst nightmare was unraveling before her.

The dark mage let out a blast of dark magic from his hand toward the heartbroken Lucy who could not scream. She received the dark mage's blast full on and she sailed and crashed into the wall before hitting the ground.

There was no scream no loud noises. Just a crackling sound of bones and a thud.

As she lay numb and bleeding all over, she could see Natsu engulfed in flames as he held Lisanna to his chest.

Lucy reached her shaky hand out towards Natsu trying desperately for him to look her direction.

"Please don't forget me" she thought "I am right here.. turn around.. please…. Natsu."

All went dark, darker than night, as if her soul had became nothing.


	2. Black Ice

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******Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

* * *

**Morning of:**

Sitting up abruptly in cold sweat, Natsu awoke from his nightmare.. He was cold. Him.. Salamander was cold.. he clenched his hair with both hands as he look down to his knees. It was as if he relived it all over again. Lisanna had died in his dreams and he saw the ghostly crying faces of his guild members. Natsu couldn't shake off the images of their faces. His breathing was labored and he tried to slow himself down. He breathed in and smelt the aroma that always calmed him.. Lucy's scent. He was startled and opened his eyes wide. He looked beside him and did not find Lucy. He looked around the room and everything was silent. He couldn't sense her in the bathroom or living room. She was not there. Natsu couldn't help but feel relieved at her unusual absence. It was her apartment. He didn't want her to see his state and worry about him. Instead of worrying about where she was, all he could do was be thankful that he didn't get caught in his emotional turmoil. He had to be strong. He had to protect others. He was not supposed to be the one who was protected and worried over.

Natsu had been worried all week actually. Fighting his fear that when Lisanna would join the team, he would be responsible for her. He didn't want to be the one who couldn't protect Lisanna and have to experience her death all over again. If she were to die on this mission, it would be his fault. He had to protect her, or else he would never be able to face his guild mates ever again. They had finally got Lisanna back and he wouldn't allow her to be lost again. With this determination, he jumped out of bed, woke Happy who was sleeping on the couch, and walked towards the guild.

"Natsu I didn't see Lushyy. Where did she go?"

"I don't know Happy. I woke up and she wasn't there. Maybe she went to the guild already"

The sunlight warmed his skin.. The cold from his nightmare was slowly melting. A smile crept on his face and along with a thought. He would be going on a mission with his favorite nakama.. but specifically his two friends.. Lucy and Lisanna. Excited for the day and wondering why he was ever so nervous he started running towards the guild.

"Happy its going to be a fun mission!"

"Aye!"

When I had reached the guild, I saw that Lucy was already there. She was having breakfast at the bar and talking to Mira. It was quite unusual for Lucy to be up and at the guild so early. I walked over to her and sat down next to her.

"Good morning Lucy"

"Good morning Erza"

"You are up and early"

"Yea. Got up for some reason"

Mira asked "Erza would you like anything"

Erza replied "No its okay Mira. I already ate. We will be leaving soon anyways"

Soon Gray and Lisanna arrived with Natsu and Happy following after.

"Alright lets head towards the train station"

* * *

**time skip**

We were watching the landscape go by out the window. It was awfully quiet. Gray and Lucy had fallen asleep. Lucy had leaned onto Gray and Gray let his head rest on her head. Happy was in her lap asleep as well. Natsu was unwell with motion sickness next to Lisanna, which was unusual since Natsu would usually sit next to Lucy and have her help calm his sickness by humming and playing with his hair in her lap. He would suffer the whole ride through. Lisanna was giggling at Lucy and Gray and then at Natsu. She was so happy.

Erza couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. She sat there trying to conceal her emotions but was left sitting with a serious face. When Lisanna had approached her to ask if she could go on a mission with team Natsu, she was happy that Lisanna was taking steps to being an Earthland Fairy Tail mage but she didn't think team Natsu was the right team to help her transition in. Lisanna begged Erza and put on a puppy dog face. Erza couldn't help but to say yes. She was the responsible one and Lisanna had put the responsibility of training Lisanna onto her. Titania never said no to a challenge. Natsu would be there to help and along with Gray. Lucy had many spirits that looked after her.

Lisanna would be safe.

* * *

**Time skip**

Gray had finally beat the dark mage he had been battling. His left arm had a gash and blood had started dripping down the arm. With his right hand he clenched the gash to prevent further blood loss. He ran further in the cave to help his nakama. He froze and then he saw it..

An ablaze Natsu was lunging towards the right end of the cave while a shadow was lunging towards the left end. A quick bright light appeared and Loke in midair performed Regulus Impact on the shadow. But something dark had left the hands of the shadow. The cave was very dark to begin with but strangely only a small light was emitted from Loke's attack. The job was done however. The shadow of a man on the ground lifeless and Loke standing stern over it.

From Loke's mouth "Natsu get Lisanna out of here!"

Gray turned his gaze upon blazing Natsu who was holding Lisanna to his chest. Gray screamed "Lisanna!" and ran towards Natsu. Natsu stood up holding scared Lisanna and started running towards the exit of the cave. Not wanting to be lost in the darkness, Gray followed the flamebrain's light as thoughts were running wild in his brain. Was Lisanna ok.. What had happened? She seemed ok. Just scared.

Where was Lucy?

As if life was being sucked out from his very heart.. He turned around. Dread fell over his whole being as he saw Loke's body glowing softly with spiritual light. Gray's gaze went towards the body. Her eyes open and dull. Unblinking and staring back. Hair was wet and wavy over her face and the floor. Her right hand was in front of her but with no grasp. It was just there. Then soft lights appeared around her materializing into her spirits. As more light appeared to his horror he found Aquarius floating above a pool of blood. Tears were falling down the faces of her spirits as they stood in a circle around their master. Loke knelt down next to Lucy.. tears streaming..

"I'm…. sorry…. lucy.. I'm… so sorry"

Gray shouted "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"  
He started running towards Lucy

Loke slowly lifted her bridal style.. face grim with anger, anguish, heartbreak, horror.

Gray was almost there.. He was almost there…..please….. wait…

"LLLLLLUUUCCCYYYYYYYYY!"

Bright light radiated from the spirits.

They vanished.

Eyes wide tears streaming, Gray collapsed on the floor. Making fists he slammed them on the ground.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Ice spindles shot out of all the surfaces of the cave's tunnels. The whole inside of the cave freezes over.

In his fists…. Black ice.

**important notice:  
**_i will not be giving away clues to how the story will progress. you will have to wait patiently. im trying to make the story as juicy as possible. so please be patient with me. what you can do is leave me reviews that will most definitely inspire me to keep writing. It will help me put all my efforts into making this story as enjoyable and yummy as possible. I am open to all comments but please be gentle. _

_I enjoy taking this journey with you and I hope you do too._


	3. Waterfall of Tears

**Please leave me a review. It is much appreciated :) I find motivation in your comments and compliments! You must love me. I posted 3 chapters in the past 24 hours. **

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

In the town of Clovertown, Carla is flying above Wendy. They had just finished their mission and were on their way back to the guild. Pantherlily was on Gajeel's shoulder and Wendy was happily walking beside them. Wendy was happy to have trained with him and giggled to herself. She looked up at Gajeel and he glanced a look to Wendy and looked away.

"Tch.. If you keep smiling like that your face will freeze like that"

"Eeek! Gajjjeeelll!"

Although Gajeel was tough and scary in looks, Wendy knew that Gajeel was a softy in the inside. He had easily accepted her proposal of training without a word of protest. She had asked a week earlier and he grunted while Lily nodded with his arms crossed in approval. It was nice to have such a brotherly dragon slayer around. And plus! He had an exceed Lily too like she had Carla. Natsu was a fellow dragon slayer but he was just so eager to fight that Wendy was too scared for her life. And Carla was annoyed by Happy.

Wendy then saw wings come in the line of sight. She gasped and lunged to catch the falling Carla. They both crashed down on the ground and Gajeel and Lily looked shocked at the fallen Wendy.

"Be careful Wendy! You can't trip all over the place!" Gajeel shouted and then became silent.

Wendy Pantherlily and Gajeel gazed at the horrified Carla on the ground. She was grabbing her head with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Lucccyy… LLuuccyy… LUUCCYYYY!" Carla screamed. She looked horrified.

Wendy gazed at her exceed in shock. She realized Lucy was in danger. She picked up Carla and started running as fast as she could to the train.

The moment Gajeel had heard Carla say Lucy.. He thought "What…Bunny girl?" He saw Carla tears and dread filled inside him. Carla just had a vision and bunny girl was in trouble. He watched Wendy run away with Carla and snapped back to reality. He dashed towards and picked Wendy up in one arm while Lily slid to the other. He ran.. One thought in mind.. Get back..

Bunny girl you better not have died.. No.. she wouldn't die...

* * *

**Time skip**

Wendy, Carla, Gajeel and Lily ran through the guild doors. Everyone in the guild looked towards the entrance. Everyone had tears dropping from their faces.

Wendy walked forward.. "Where… where is Lucy?"

Silence.. they all looked away..

Wendy found Levy.. "Levy.. Why are you crying.. Where is Lucy?"

Carla dropped to the floor.. tears dropped and landed on her paws…

Gajeel couldn't believe what was going on.. He found Natsu seated at a table alone.. He walked up to him and grabbed him up by his scarf.. looking face to face to him..

Growling with frustration and dread "WHAT. DID. YOU. DO"

Natsu's face was indescribable.. Emotionless gaze… Rivers of tears cascading down his face..

He was broken. Gajeel looked towards Gray.. towards Erza… their faces...

Carla softly whispered… "she's really…. dead." Lily standing next to Carla had heard and so had the keen ears of all the dragon slayers in the guild.

With unbelief.. He yelled "STOP F'ING WITH ME! BUNNY GIRL CAN'T DIE!"

A hand rested on Gajeels shoulder. He looked towards the owner of the hand. The blond man with the scar silently shook his head while looking towards the ground… Laxus's hand was gripping Gajeels shoulder… trembling... a drop of tear fell from the man's face.

His body numbed.. he let go of Natsu…

This was reality. It wasn't a dream. He wished as hard as possible... hot streams...  
grinding his teeth.. he could no longer hold them back.. he cried with the rest of his friends... uncaring for his reputation.. uncaring for what others thought

* * *

Having been the only person upstairs.. She was heartbroken to the scene before her. Her guild was in pain…

Seriousness fell upon her face. She looked in a direction outside the guild.

"could it be?"

She gazed down to Carla who had at that moment looked towards her as well. They locked eyes…

* * *

Carla had had another vision… She had seen Mavis.. She was walking along a forest.. and arrived at a glowing waterfall. On the shore.. A girl lay peacefully with only her head out of the water.. Her hair was flowing about with the waves of the pool. Mavis walked up to her ..

She spoke softly…

"Lucy…"

Carla broke from her vision. And looked up towards the girl with the white dress. She was upstairs and they had locked eyes with one another. Mavis lifted her arm and pointed to the right of the guild. Mavis began walking towards the right side of the guild and walked through the wall.

No one had seen Mavis. Only Carla. Carla stood up and walked out of the guild. Wendy noticed Carla leave and slowly followed after her. The guild doors closed behind them. And as Carla turned into the right side of the guild she met face to face to the first Master.

To Wendy's surprise she also came up to see Carla and Mavis face each other. Wendy walked to Carla's side and looked upon the first master.

"I would like to hear everything you know about Lucy"


	4. Fairy Dust

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******Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

* * *

**Fairydust**

Carla wiped away her tears. She looked straight into the first master's serious face.

"Lucy was attacked by a dark mage while Natsu rescued Lisanna. She was taken by her celestial spirits and she seemed lifeless. Natsu seemed too preoccupied with Lisanna to…And Gray saw Lucy's final moments... his face.." Carla was crying again, eyes towards the ground with clenched paws.

Mavis shifted her head so that she gazed towards the same direction she had gazed towards when she was inside the guild.  
"hm… Is that all you saw? I know you have a gift of seeing visions of the future."

Carla replied surprised, "Actually, there was one more. I saw something more just moments before. And I don't know what it means."

Wendy quickly turned her head towards Carla with a surprised look. Mavis smiled gently.

Carla observing the change in the first master's demeanor took a deep breath.

"I saw you, the first master, walk up to Lucy who was lying in a glowing pool with a waterfall in some forest I don't recognize"

Mavis's eyes widened.  
"So my calculations were right. Thank you Carla. Now I have a mission for the both of you… Carla and Wendy, the sky dragon slayer."

Carla and Wendy looked at one another and gazed back at the confident first master standing barefoot before them. She had an air of confidence and strength as she spoke..

"You are to speak to no one about what you have just told me and you must leave immediately. Speak to no one before you go. I will meet you at Hargeon port in 1 hour. Hurry and get ready now."

Wendy felt the gravity of the mission given upon them as Mavis walked towards Wendy and Carla pushing them to face the street so that they could be on their way to fairy hills. Wendy grabbed Carla into her arms and started running.

Mavis watched the two leave. Then she flew to the top of the guild and enjoyed the sunset occurring before her eyes. Her eyes towards a direction far off on the ocean horizon. She started to skip on top of the roofs of buildings towards the port. Humming all the way.

* * *

***earlier***

A flash of light appeared in the green forest. A panting man stood as the light faded away. Tears were falling upon the face of the young woman in his arms. Her head was nestled in his neck and dripping with blood. He was gasping for air as he fell to his knees, grasping tightly yet gently to the frail bloody body in his arms. Holding her close to his chest…

"Please… let me have come in time… please… Don't leave me… not like this.. Don't leave me…. like Karen…"

He remembered Lucy's kindness. Her adamant wish to be friends with her spirits. Her unrelenting heart to save him and her boldness to go against the Celestial Spirit King. Her choice to work around the schedules of her spirits. Her numerous battles.. phantom lord.. the infinity clock...

Her smiling face

Closing his eyes, "Please Mavis… Save her"

He cried with deep anguish. Her heart was silent. If only she had called him earlier. If only he had come sooner. If only he was stronger. If only…

"I'm so…..sorry… Lucy"

At that moment, Lucy's Fairy Tail mark lit up with a bright yellow light. Speckles of light from the air were falling onto Lucy's body.

A beat.

He felt it. Loke opened his eyes and gazed upon the light spectacle before him.  
Another beat. The most beautiful sound and feeling he would ever remember.  
Her heart was beating slow.. but surely.

He smiled still crying.  
"Thank you… "

"Thank you.. Lucy… for coming back to us..."

He looked up and with a new sense of determination, lifting his master gently as he stood up onto his feet.

"We'll take it one step at time. But I promise you, no one will ever dare to hurt you like this again. I, Leo the Lion… the Leader of the 12 zodiac keys.. and Loke of Fairy Tail.. PROMISE to protect you… Lucy Heartfilia… and to make you.. THE GREATEST Celestial mage the world as seen yet.."

"Or I will die trying." A glint of fire in his eyes.

Lights lit into a circle around Loke and materialized into all her celestial spirits. They were smiling and looked upon their leader and master with confidence and pride. All had the same conviction, united in their love and loyalty to their master.

They spoke loud and strong. "I promise." "Pu-puunn!"

Magic pressurized around them, causing air to twirl around them and yellow light radiated from their bodies.

Loke whispered to Lucy, "So wake up Lucy. All of us are waiting for you. We'll be here… right by your side."

* * *

In the celestial spirit world, the Celestial Spirit King sat in his throne, his elbow on the arm rest and hand in a fist over his mouth. He thought hard. "Hm...Lucy….."

* * *

Waves were crashing onto the side of the boat. Going full speed, the boat was cutting through the ocean waters. The ocean breeze weaving through the blue hair of a girl and the white fur of an exceed. Both on the bow of the boat. Looking firmly before them. With the pink horizon, the stars were making their entrance in the darkening sky above. Twinkling., like they were cheering and urging them to hurry on their quest.

Softly, "We are almost there.. Lucy. Wait for us." Wendy spoke.

To Tenrou Island.


	5. Moonlight Healing

**********Please leave me a review. It is much appreciated :) I find motivation to write faster through your comments and compliments! **

******Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

* * *

When the boat came close enough, Carla grabbed a hold of Wendy and began fly towards the island. The flew around the island as Wendy tried to smell Lucy out. She caught a scent of blood. They both flew towards the source and found Lucy lying against loke at the rim of the medicinal springs. He was gently pouring the spring water on her wounds, slowly. Wendy and Carla landed and ran towards Loke and Lucy. Loke noticed approaching figures "Wendy! Carla!"

Wendy collapsed on her knees next to Lucy. She was horrified and shaking. Lucy had several huge gashes and broken bones that caused her body to be a bloody mess. Wendy took a deep breath lifted her arms over the wounds and began healing Lucy.

Loke was in a state of shock. "How.. how.. did.."

Carla interrupted, "The first master predicted you would come here with Lucy. I had a vision that confirmed it. The only way to save Lucy was to come here and since you were a celestial spirit and a former fairytail member, it would have been easy for you to travel to the celestial world and to here Tenrou Island from the caves."

"This island provides divine protection to those with the fairy tail crest does it not? So we can't die on this island."

Loke nodded. Shocked and then fear appeared on his face.

"Don't worry. We are the only ones who know. The first master wants this to be a secret and won't tell anyone in the guild."

He was tired and relieved. Wendy was doing her best to heal Lucy's wounds and broken bones. With the divine protection of the Island, Wendy's healing abilities had increased in effectiveness and the gashes were beginning to close up.

Wendy was sweating now and huffing… She was almost at her limit. Loke put a hand on Wendy's shoulder and she looked towards his face.

"Wendy.. You can stop now. Her major wounds are closed up a bit and you are getting tired"

"But…"

"No buts. Lucy will be fine now. Thank you Wendy Carla. For coming so quickly. We'll let the medicinal springs do the rest now."

"Okay…" Wendy's hands stopped glowing and she let them drop to her knees. She was tired. Carla went up to Wendy and put her paw on Wendy's arm.

"You did great Wendy."

"Thanks Carla. I hope it was good enough. She still needs to heal more." Wendy began to tear up. Tears began to fall. "I'm so happy she's alive.."

Loke spoke "Wendy.. Carla.. Why don't you girls head over to camp and rest now. I'll take care of Lucy here. I want her to get her washed and heal her up some more."

"Come on Wendy. Lucy is in good hands." As Carla flew above Wendy began to pull her up to her feet. They looked towards the right and saw a tent with a campfire ablaze.

"How did you have time to set up camp?" Wendy asked with watery eyes.

"Virgo set it up while I was trying to heal her by the spring. Don't worry about the tents. I'll ask her to bring another one. You girls get some rest. You'll need it for tomorrow" Loke gently put Lucy to lie on the ground. He was moving to stand up.

Once Wendy and Carla had gone into the tent, He looked at his master lying on the ground.

"okay… take a deep breath" He took his tie and shirt off. He was beginning to take his pants off when a light began to shine next to him and faded as Aries arrived.

"I'm sorry.. Leo.. But I can't let you take advantage of our defenseless master"

"Wha.. Wha.. Whhhattttt!" Loke blushed and looked away. His pants fell to the floor "GYAHH!"

"I.. was.. NOT! Aries.. It's not what you think!"

"I'm sorry….."

Loke regained his composure and looked at Aries. "Well then now that you are here. You can help me clean Lucy. But don't push yourself too hard. If you feel tired, go back to the celestial world immediately"

"ok" Aries timidly replied.

Aries helped Loke remove Lucy's ripped and bloody clothes until Lucy was in her undergarments. Loke took off his pants quickly and carefully lifted Lucy up bridal style. Aries helped Loke gently enter the spring and followed after. The two celestial spirits supported Lucy's head out of the water but so that the back of her head was immersed in the water. Loke had noticed Lucy was bleeding from there when had brought her to the island. The spring water had dark swirls from Lucy's body. The dried blood and the blood from her wounds were washing off.

The three were in the springs for a long time. Night had fallen when Wendy and Carla had arrived but thanks to the full moon above, the island was lit enough by the moonlight so that Lucy and Loke had been found.

The two celestial mages were leaning together against the edge of the springs with Lucy in their arms. Both were looking up towards the starry sky. Enjoying the calm night and reminiscing of all the events past.

A light appeared behind them and Virgo stood with a towel in her hand. "Hime needs to be bandaged now"

Loke gently put Lucy in his arms and got out of the springs with Aries' help. Virgo dried Lucy down. They headed towards camp and saw two tents. Virgo had already set another up while Lucy was bathing. They went inside the tent and Aries used her magic to put a comfy pink wool layer over Lucy's bed. Loke gently put Lucy on top of the wool.

Slightly.. barely visible.. Lucy smiled.. but they noticed.

She was still unconscious but the wool must have been a comfort to her. Aries and Loke teared up and smiled. Virgo with a warm smile knelt down and began to bandage Lucy's wounds.

* * *

A week had gone by. The routine was the same. Wendy would help heal Lucy's wounds with her magic and Loke would help heal Lucy by helping to bath her in the medicinal springs. There was a lot of free time as most of the days was spent just waiting for Lucy to awake. And in that free time, Wendy took advantage of it.

* * *

Earlier*

At dinner the following day of her arrival, Wendy was quietly eating her meal. She was afraid and yet determined to ask. Loke had sensed the girl's anxiousness and was curious.. Was she afraid of him?

Wendy looked up at Loke and their eyes locked. "uhm… Will you train me?"

Loke was shocked.

"I've been thinking.. I.. want to be able to protect my nakama… Im so small.. and I am weak… I need to be stronger… I.."

Loke cut her off "You are not weak Wendy. Don't ever think that. You are a sky dragon slayer. You helped save Lucy. You always heal your friends and save them."

Wendy looked towards the campfire. "I.."

"But yes. I will train you"

Wendy's eyes widened and returned to gaze at Loke. "Reealllyy?..."

"Yes. Both of us will get stronger. You will train with me and I will help you out too. Carla can watch Lucy while we train."

Carla nodded her head in agreement.

"And once Lucy wakes up.. She will join us too. All her spirits are waiting for her to wake up so that they can train with her to be stronger."

Loke smiled warmly at Wendy "You might as well help Lucy and train with her too"

Wendy's face lit up and she smiled "Ok. Thank you."

They resumed eating their dinner. Fire crackling before them.

* * *

Wendy was sparing with Loke in a clearing. They were sweating and panting as their training went on. Wendy had gotten a lot faster and her attacks had more power. She was starting to keep up with Loke. She had gained more confidence and was fighting with more ease. Her dragon slayer instincts were breaching out.

Just as Wendy was about to hit Loke with a punch with wind swirling rapidly around her fist… Virgo popped up out of the ground, causing Wendy to lose focus and disable her punch. She unclenched her fist and used her hand to push off of Loke's shoulder and flip over behind him. She landed gracefully on her feet and looked towards Virgo.

Loke was surprised and gulped. Sweat dropped from his temples and down his neck. He thought "That was close….. Wendy…. You sure are strong."

He looked towards Virgo after he heard her mumble. "What did you say Virgo?"

She looked at them seriously. "Hime, has woken up"

*** I have an idea of who will partner up with who. the romances are slowly going to unravel. prepare your hearts. they will flutter. ***


	6. Rise Together

**********Please leave me a review. It is much appreciated :) I find motivation to write faster through your comments and compliments! **

******Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

* * *

*Day three since Lucy's death*

Dried tears were visible on his face. He was slightly dirty and dusty as he lay on his bed with his arm over his eyes. He had not eaten or moved for two days and Happy was getting worried. Not moving or eating at all was definitely unlike him and Happy needed help to reach out to Natsu.

The front door busted open and a shout resonated throughout the house "NATTSSUUU!" Natsu didn't move. Strong muscular arms grabbed up Natsu and swung him over the man's shoulders. He didn't resist. He was lifeless.

The man walked out of the house and walked towards the guild. Natsu had opened his eyes and had a dull gaze upon the ground, arms loosely swaying with the man's steps. The man kicked the guild doors open and walked inside. Everyone was silent and had gazed upon the pink haired man who looked like a lifeless punching bag over Elfman's shoulders. Elfman slid Natsu off his shoulder and propped him up to be seated at an empty table.

Mira walked from the bar to the table with a plate of food and utensils. She set the plate before him gently and sat next to him. Natsu just gazed off as if his brain was not there. Emotionless face with sorrow filled eyes. It pained Mira to see Natsu like this.

Gently "Natsu…"

No response.

"Natsu… you have to eat." Silence

"It wasn't your fault… Don't do this to yourself…. You did your best." Natsu looked as if he wasn't there. His body was in front of her but inside, Natsu had locked himself away.

She gazed down at her clenched fists on her lap. Tears began to fall. She was helpless. What could she say… He just lost one of his best friends.. to save her sister…

Elfman spoke as he looked towards the doors "Natsu… What you are doing… is not a Man."

Natsu's eyes widened a little.

"You are running from your friends. You are not the only one hurting. And you are not responsible for her death." He put a stern gaze upon Natsu. "We know… you saved Lisanna for us… so we wouldn't have to go through it again…" tears began to fall from his face

Someone brushed against Natsu and sat down on next to him.

"It's not your fault Natsu... It is mine... I made a bad judgment of this mission and I should have known better. I should have known it was too much for you to handle… That you would try and protect two members"

Gray stomped up and slammed his hand on the table. "SHUT UP! ITS NONE OF YOUR FAULTS!"

Erza had her gaze down towards her lap, her bangs covering her eyes.

Mira softly "Gray…." Giving Gray a worried look.

"I know what I saw.. I…it was dark… Natsu rushed to save Lisanna…He didn't see… And I… was too late… If only I had come faster…if" horror and anguish showed in his teary eyes…

"ENOUGH!" a white haired girl yelled with tears flowing down her face. She was at the bar and now she walked up to the five.

"This was not our fault! Things happen. We are mages. We go on missions, risk out lives, and risk our lives for our friends. But right now.. This is not how we should be….."

They were all silent. Tears streaming down the faces of team Natsu.

"What would… Lucy think if she saw us now…."

Their hearts sank.

"Lucy would want us to live on." Levy interrupted as she walked up next to Elfman. "She would be heartbroken to find her friends hurting because of her…"

"This is not the Fairy Tail she wants to see…" someone said from a table in a dark corner. His eyes were stern as leaned against the wall while sitting down. He was staring at the pink haired dragon slayer. "This is not the Natsu… Gray…. Erza… she would ever want to see."

The three felt the weight of his words. He was… right. As much as they were in pain.. As much as they felt overwhelming guilt.. Lucy.. would not want them to be sad…

Silence.. Natsu still refused to eat his food.

A shuffling was heard. A man with long green hair walked up in front of Natsu's table.

"We are all friends. From the same guild. We share our happiness together. Laugh together. And move forward together."

Natsu's eyes widened and looked up to the man's face. Freed was staring back. Mira had looked up to Freed as well. Her eyes widened to what the man was saying… Everyone gazed upon Freed.

"We are all connected. Grieving alone. Being alone is painful…."

Freed looked upon Mira's face, "But together with friends, you can move through the pain."

Mira blushed. He had remembered.. everything she said.

Freed tilted his head in a little bow to the blushing Mira with a slight smile and walked towards the table the Thunder God Tribe was seated at.

An short elderly man stood upon the railings of the second floor. "Listen up you brats."

Everyone looked up towards the third master. "Now.. You all can blame yourselves as much as you want and sulk like babies…"

He was serious.

"Or rise above this… Get stronger to protect your nakama here… Use Lucy as a motivation.. To be better... So that she didn't die in vain.."

He observed the whole guild and saw many sorrow filled faces.

"I am not asking you to forget about Lucy.. No.. I am asking you to move through her death.. find strength in her life.. become stronger.. become closer to the friends still living... "

"Who are we.." silence "WHO ARE WE"

"FAIRRY TAILL!" resonated throughout the guild.

"That's right. And to the dark guild that caused by dear children so much pain…" The first master's face darkened with rage.. "WE WILL MAKE SURE THEY REGRET THE DAY THEY CROSSED OUR PATHS"

"YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" the guild cheered.

Erza smiled… Gray smiled… Fairy Tail.. Their friends…Lucy.. They love you so much...

His arm lifted.. He grabbed the spoon with his shaking hand.. and slowly took a bite of his food.. Tears streaming down his face… as he slowly chewed… sniffling… He cried as he slowly ate…

Mira put her hand on Natu's back and watched Natsu eat. "That's good Natsu.. keep eating.. make sure to chew thoroughly" she smiled warmly.. tears streaming down her face.

* * *

Mavis stood next to Master Makarov. She smiled. "Fairy Tail has gotten so much stronger and is filled with so much love."

Master Makarov spoke "I am glad you think that First master.. My children.. I hope they can rise from this without much damage.. especially those three… They'll miss her the most…" He rested his eyes upon team Natsu.

Mavis smiled "They won't miss her for too long"

His eyes widened and his eyes shot towards the First master. Was she being heartless? No.. The first master wasn't that mean… What did she mean by they won't miss her.. for too long?... "First master… is there something you know.. something I should know?"

Mavis smiled and looked upon the third master. "Third Master. I would like to speak with you privately."

The two masters entered into the private guild master's office and closed the door.

* * *

He was confused. He had a frown on his face. What had Master Mavis meant. What was she hiding. He was staring at his hands on the table.

He looked towards the pink haired dragon slayer. Natsu was too emotionally compromised and so his dragon slayer hearing had not caught onto the conversation held by the Masters above. He hadn't seen the little blue haired girl for a couple days and wondered where she had run off.

He felt someone staring at him and shifted his red eyes towards a blond man across the guild from him. The blond man was leaning against the other side of the guild wall while standing. Their eyes locked. They both had heard the conversation.

Laxus averted his gaze to his grandfather's closed door. "Blondie…."

Gajeel's red eyes also followed after to the door. "Bunnygirl….."


	7. Shield Her Heart

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* * *

******Omg You guys are amazing! I've hit over 100 followers and over 50 favorites! I thank you guys so much for reading my story! ********Because you guys are so awesommeee~ I give you guys a longer than usual chapter.**

****update ****

** I try and post new chapters everyday. preferrably in the morning. But i had a guest over so I am behind schedule. Will post another today.  
**

next chapter. resuming back to guild life. i will be tackling what to do about Lucy's housing and rent. and little back to Lucy's training.

* * *

***Three days after the incident***

Sitting on the table cross-legged, "First Master. You are acting very suspiciously. What is it that I don't know. "

Looking into the eyes of Master Makarov, seated before him on a chair, "Third Master.. Lucy may be alive."

His eyes widened… "Master Mavis… What…"

"When the sky dragon slayer Wendy, her exceed Carla, and the iron dragon slayer Gajeel entered the guild a few days ago.. I sensed a disturbance at my grave…."

With a frown, "Someone had found Tenrou Island?.. But that's impossible…" He was thinking hard as he gazed towards the right wall of his office.

It hit him. He shot his eyes to gaze onto the face of Master Mavis for confirmation. "Unless….they were.."

"Yes. Lucy must have somehow been teleported to Tenrou Island by someone from our guild. The island would provide the protection and healing to maintain her from dying."

"But who would be capable… Loke.." It all made sense.

"Third Master?"

"There was a celestial spirit who was previously a guild member before Lucy arrived at the guild. She had saved the celestial spirit from death and gained his celestial key. He, as a fairy tail member and a previous participant of the S-class promotion exam, would be able to set foot upon the island."

"That would explain how they got to the island. They bridged across the celestial world to Tenrou Island. Hopefully they got there safely and in time..."

"If that's the case.. Lucy could either be dead or alive" He crossed his arms in thought.

"I hope you don't mind third master, but I sent the sky dragon slayer and her exceed on a mission to Tenrou Island. If Lucy is alive, Wendy should be able to heal her."

Master Makarov was surpised. "Oh I don't mind. I just hope they arrived in time to save her…." He had a worried look on his face. No matter what, it was not the time to rest easy. Lucy could still be dead. But at least there was hope.

"But third master…"

"Yes?"

"I suggest we keep this information to ourselves. If what I predicted is correct. I assume Lucy would not be ready to see the guild yet… She in fact did die afterall.. even for a few seconds…"

"Yes I think that's best. She deserves some time to sort things through.. She will show herself when she is ready.."

* * *

They were running back.. jumping over boulders.. tree vines.. over bushes… heart racing within their chests…

A campsite came into sight.. A figure sitting in front of a pot.. stirring the contents with a wooden spoon… Her face turned towards the two running shadows..

"Luccyy!" "Luccyy-san!" smiles on their face.

Loke slowed down from a run to a walk as Wendy kept running towards Lucy. Lucy stood up.

"Wendy!" she smiled.

Wendy jumped into Lucy's embrace. She wrapped her arms around Lucy's waist tightly. Her face buried in Lucy's chest. She was crying.

Lucy shocked "Wenddyyy… "

Wendy looked up to Lucy's face. "Luccyy-san.. I'm so happy you are awake! I was so worried"

"Wendy…. I'm ok. Did something happen? Why are you crying?"

Wendy.. Loke.. Carla.. their eyes widened in shock…

"Lucyyy-san… Don't you remember?"

"Wendy.." Loke spoke gently but firmly… Wendy looked towards the celestial spirit. He had a worried look on his face as he shook his head, signaling Wendy to cease talking about it.

Wendy nodded. She let go of Lucy and looked back towards Lucy face. She was smiling but there was pain behind it.

Lucy was confused "What do you mean. What happened?"

Loke faked a calm composure "Nothing my love. Are you feeling okay?"

Lucy walked up to Loke and looked straight into his eyes. She was getting irritated. Firmly, "What happened?"

Loke gracefully put an arm around Lucy's waist and grabbed her hand with his other arm, swinging her sideways and backwards so that she was leaning backwards but being supported up by Loke's arm. His face was awfully close and she gazed into his eyes.

"Lucy my love, I've missed you. You kept me waiting for so long. And now you've awoken and I will never let you go. I knew that our love was too strong for us to part so soon." Loke spoke in a romantic voice. His eyes twinkling.

Wendy quickly covered her face with her hands but peeked through her fingers. Carla just shook her head at the sight.

Lucy squinted her eyes. She punched Loke's chin upwards. "BAKA! You still didn't answer me!"

Loke held on tightly. Keeping her close to his chest despite having been punched. Making sure that he would not let go of Lucy… not let her fall… Carla noticed.

cough… cough… "gomenosai…." He whispered. Tears streaming down his face while looking upwards towards the clouds.

Wendy giggled. Loke pushed Lucy back up onto her feet.

Lucy huffed and smiled. What could she do. She walked over back to Wendy. Carla was seated on a log in front of the campfire pit.

"Wendy.. I remember returning back to the guild from our mission.. I remember you leaving with Gajeel to train. But.. for some reason I can't remember anything after that… and I woke up today in that tent and find myself here. Where are we? What happened. Please tell me?"

"uhm.. Lucy-san…."

"You are here to train." Carla spoke.

Lucy looked over at Carla "Huh?"

"We came here, to Tenrou Island, to train. For the S-class Mage Promotion Trial. Don't you remember?" Carla maintained a calm composure.

Lucy looked around her "WHATTT?! We are where?!"

"Wendy asked you to be her partner this year. And both of you wanted to train."

"Yes Lucy. That's why we are here." Loke added. "You hit your head while we were training and that's why you have a slight loss of memory."

Lucy was silent. She thought "hm.. is that why Wendy was shocked I couldn't remember.. because she had asked me to be her partner and I forgot?... or was there something more… there was something behind her eyes… her smile.."

Wendy took a moment to digest the situation. She looked up into Lucy's eyes. Lucy was in thought as she was looking at the ground.

"It's okay Lucy-san if you don't remember. I don't want to force you to train with me and be my partner. It's okay if you don't want to. " Wendy smiled.

"No.. noo that's not what I mean Wendy. I'm sorry. Of course I'll train with you. I'm sorry if Cana wanted to be partners again but… " Lucy smiled back "I'd be happy to be partners with you"

"Okay~" Wendy said happily.

A bright light appeared next to Loke and Capricorn materialized.

"Lucy-sama" He bowed with his right hand over his heart. He looked towards Wendy and Carla and gave them a slight bow.

"Capricorn!" Lucy's eyes widened, she jumped up with one leg bent in the air, mouth agape. She thought "What is going on?!"

Loke dropped to his hands and knees. His head drooped and he looked completely dejected.

"Nooo!... I used to be the only one who could go through the gate freely…. regardless of your will… Lushhhhyyy… and now… " He looked up to Lucy's face "does this mean… I… now stand on the same level as Capricorn!?"

Lucy's face paled as she still stood in her shocked position. "Heh….."

Capricorn sweat dropped.

A breeze flew by…

"Ahem... Lucy-sama it is time for your training."

Lucy regained her composure. She stood on both feet now. "I don't know what's going on here. I feel like you guys are hiding something from me still. But okay." She smiled bringing up a clenched fist in front of her. "Yosh! Let's go Capricorn"

Loke paled. "GYAAHHH! MY LOVE!" he collapsed on the floor. He outstretched his arm to reach for Lucy. "LUSSHHYYY…. My heart…"

Wendy giggled. She thought to herself "Poor Loke-san"

Capricorn started to walk away from the campsite and Lucy followed.

Loke KO'd as he watched them walk away. It was all an act. Capricorn glanced back to Loke and they both gave a slight nod. The training had begun.

Once they were out of sight, Wendy went to sit next to Carla.

"Carla.. what do we do… Lucy doesn't remember"

"It's best that we not speak of it with her."

Loke got up from the ground. He walked up to the campfire pit, brushing off all the dirt from his suit, and sat down across from the girls.

"I agree Carla. If I could, I would rather not have her know about what happened. If she knew what happened.. what Natsu chose…"

They were silent.

Loke continued "I know Lucy knew before the mission that Natsu was having a hard time dealing with Lisanna. He must have been haunted by her death before and tried his best to keep it from happening again… but even so…"

Loke's face darkened. "I will never forgive him."

The girls gave him a worried look. Wendy spoke "Loke-san…."

"She almost died… even if it was for a few minutes… She was dead in my arms… "

Wendy was hurt. "Loke-san.. Lucy-san would not want you to feel ill towards Natsu-san… He was really broken when we saw him… He and the rest of Team Natsu… the whole guild was hurting… Even Laxus-san and Gajeel-san were crying…."

Loke was shocked. What?

"It's true" Carla added. "Lucy was one of that flamebrain's closest friends. He would not have intentionally done anything to hurt Lucy. Let alone put her in harms way to… almost have killed her. He's always saving her remember?"

Loke knew they were right. He just didn't want to admit it. He wanted someone to blame…

"But Carla….I don't even know if I'll be chosen for the s-class promotion trials…"

"It's okay. We needed a story to make it believable so that you and Lucy could train. Possibly even keep her mind busy so she doesn't try to remember"

"Yes good thinking Carla"

Loke was still silent. He worried over the days to come. How would they return to the guild. Would Lucy ever gain her memory back? How would she handle it?

No…How could she handle it… It would break her…

The Lucy they remember would die…


	8. Sneaky Little Rabbit Hole

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* * *

**Following the suspicious conversation between the two guild masters**

Gajeel entered Lucy's apartment through her window. It was night. No one saw him and Lily break into her apartment.

He walked around the dark room. Her stench… No. Her aroma was everywhere… plus a little of that stupid salamander…

Pantherlily walked towards the kitchen and began to look at the food in the refrigerator. He began to throw away her spoiled food. Gajeel plopped onto her bed. It was soft. He noticed shelves throughout the dark room. He got up again and he opened them one by one to see their contents. He found something that caught his attention and picked it up. A pair of black lacy panties. "Gihi…"

Pantherlily had finished cleaning the kitchen and came back into the bedroom to catch Gajeel with the panties. "Don't you think it's a little wrong to be enjoying a dead friend's panties"

He gave a smirk and looked at Lily from the corner of his eyes.. "Tch. Bunnygirl ain't dead"

Pantherlily lost his breath. "Wha.. Gajeel!" He pointed a paw at him. "Don't joke around like that!"

"I'm not joking Lily…" Gajeel smirked.

Pantherlily gasped. "WHAT! WHAT ARE YOU HIDING FROM ME?!"

"All I know is that sly bunnygirl ain't dead. She's hiding somewhere in a hole and I'm gonna find her" A wide toothy grin appeared on his face.

Lilly raised an eyebrow. "That's a surprise Gajeel. Who knew you cared for Lucy. Do you like her?"

"WHAAATTT! NO! "

"Uhuh. Sure. "

"SHUTUP CAT. If she ain't here, who's going to be my bunnygirl for my next performance. "

"So you are going to look for her… just because you want her to perform with you on stage… in a sexy bunny costume."

"SHUTUP. MAYBE I DO MAYBE I DON'T. MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS."

"And here I thought you liked Levy."

"Tch. She's… a friend… I owe her… for what I did... same for bunnygirl."

"Mhm. Sure. You can't fool me Gajeel" Lilly crossed his arms with a smirk.

Gajeel threw lucy's pillow at Pantherlily. It hit the exceeds face and knocked him off his feet.

"Gihi…"

Lily sat up on the ground. "I wonder then who is paying for her rent"

Gajeel gave Lily a confused look.

"What. I mean this apartment is nice. The guild thinks she's dead and if she really is in hiding.. no one is going to pay for this.. actually all her stuff might be given away."

Gajeel gave a sigh as he sat down on the bed again. "bunnygirl is sure a pain…"

A brilliant thought came into mind. "Gihi…." A evil grin crept on his face.

"Gajeel…. What are you thinking?" Lilly asked hesitantly

* * *

**3 Months had passed…**

The Thundergod Tribe noticed Laxus was not in a good mood. He was in deep thought again. They maintained a distance and gave him space. Something was up since Lucy's death. He was getting more distant every day. A bit more agitated. A bit more isolated than he was before. They were returning from an S-class mission and were heading to the guild.

In his head, he was trying to connect the pieces. What in the world happened to Blondie. Everyday, he struggled to understand. But with such little information, he didn't have any clue to what Master Mavis meant.

He had tried talking to his grandfather and Master Mavis about Lucy but they just cut him off before he could even begin. They gave him nothing to work with. They acted like they accepted her death, contrary to their previous conversation.

According to Master Mavis…Blondie… she was either alive.. or all the members of the guild would die to see her in heaven.. but the latter was so ridiculous.. meaning she was alive.. ALIVE.

BUT WHERE IS SHE. ITS BEEN 3 MONTHS ALREADY. If she was alive why hasn't she come back to the guild.

He was frustrated and electricity was sparking around him. Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow took a step back.. They had never seen Laxus act like this before…

Her crying the morning of. Her leaving with team Natsu. Lisanna. Master Mavis. Gajeel. Stupid Natsu..

Wait. Where was the little blue headed girl.. and her cat.. How long were they gone for?

His eyes widened. WENDY.

But… Carla said she saw her dead. How would Lucy come back from the dead. Wendy couldn't do that.

What if she didn't die per say.. But with the description.. she should have died… No magic would prevent imminent death.

His eyes widened and he froze in his tracks. His heart stopped for a second. He wasn't Master Makarov's grandson for nothing. He knew almost everything about Fairy Tail's history.

BUT HOW… blondie's magic is….. CELESTIAL MAGIC.

LOKE.

He grinned. Blondie was alive.

He knew it…. He clenched his fists.

That sneakkkyyy little sky dragon slayer and her exceed had slipped off to wherever Lucy was… without anyone noticing…

But how did that little girl know… she disappeared so soon… right after she came back to the guild..

OF COURSE.. Master Mavis.

With excitement running through his veins and a smirk on his face, he started into a run towards the guild. Leaving the thundergod tribe confused and frozen in his dust.

* * *

**At Tenrou Island**

Sweat was dripping down her neck and chest. She was running around the island with Virgo, Aries, Loke, Capricorn, and Wendy. Wendy had grown a little taller and was looking stronger than ever. Her celestial spirits were getting stronger too.

For some reason, her celestial spirits were all so very eager to train with her.. even when she didn't want to and would rather sleep. Even Aquarius.. Oddly, Aquarius was being a lot nicer now after her concussion… it was weird and unsettling…But through their intense training sessions, she could now keep four zodiac celestial spirits in the human world for a good amount of time before she depleted all her magic.

Aries became more confident and independent. Virgo became faster. Capricorn was fit as always and enjoyed his training sessions with Lucy. Loke was getting, although she would never admit it, more handsome and muscular. The four celestial spirits were perfecting unison raids together as Lucy sparred with Wendy. But Wendy…she was really strong. She learned to control her sky dragon slayer magic more naturally. And when she fought… she was the wind.

Lucy was so proud. Proud of Wendy.. All her celestial friends… they were getting stronger by the day.

Lucy snapped back to concentrate on her running. She smiled. She felt like an entirely new person. Stronger. Better. Faster. Smarter. Running with her friends. She was happy.

But deep inside.. "Where is Erza… Gray… Natsu? I wonder what they are doing….I wonder how everyone back in the guild is..."


	9. Rabbit Season for Dragons Part 1

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* * *

After a while, Nastu, happy, and Lisanna began going on missions. They were, after all, a "family". Natsu had wanted to go solo initially but after several talks with Mira and Elfman, he relented to partner up with their sister. They believed Lisanna would grow and be safe with Natsu. They trusted him and he needed to rebuild his self-confidence again.

Erza was going solo however. She was hardest on herself out of all the members in team Natsu. She was gone almost all the time with s-class missions.

Gray was going on missions with Juvia. She forcefully tagged herself along his missions even when he adamantly wanted to go solo.

* * *

She woke up from her sleep to find Gray not in his sleeping bag. She quietly got up and peeked out of the tent. He was no where to be found. She walked around the camp and felt colder in a direction away from camp. She followed the change in temperature. She peaked from behind a tree. Her eyes widened.

Gray was sitting in the middle of a flat grassy area. He was meditating while a ice crystal was floating before him. The crystal was glowing brighter and brighter. Juvia sensed a condensation of magic from it. Gray suddenly got up and snatched the ice crystal in one hand and lifted up the other hand in front of him in an attack position. A huge rotating magic seal appeared at his stretched palm. It was as tall as him.

In a low and clear voice. Ice-make: arrow blizzard.

A full blown blizzard with ice spindles in the shape of arrows shot out of the magic seal.

Her whole body shaking…. "This is… Gray-sama?..." She couldn't believe what she was seeing… She had just seen Gray fuse wind magic and his ice make magic to create a completely new attack.. an enemy would definitely have a hard time withstanding an attack of that magnitude.

She looked towards the end point of his attack. The forest standing before Gray was frozen solid. There were many small holes in the trees where the arrows had been shot through. He had gotten so much stronger…

She returned her gaze back to Gray. He observed the aftermath of his attack while standing firmly with both arms at his sides. He brought up his hand and opened it. The ice crystal had turned to powdery snow. He let the snow fall from his hand to the ground..

Juvia shakily turned around and slowly walked back to camp. Trying to digest all that she witnessed.. She definitely didn't want to be on Gray's bad side now…

When he sensed Juvia walk away.. He leaned his head back….

He was looking up at the stars now. He had invented a method to make ice lacrima that absorbed the magic around him. He could utilize the magic as it channeled through him from the ice. When he had discovered the black ice in his hands that day… he could feel the dark magic in the ice. Since then, he had been experimenting with his new found ability. Now, a completely new world of magic was open to him.

"Lucy… Thank you….." tears were threatening to come out again. "I miss you….. "

* * *

He had his eyes closed and was trying to listen to all the guild members for any information about bunny girl. Levy was reading a book next to him and Pantherlily was on the table eating a plate of kiwi.

Levy knew why Gajeel was always so serious and quiet more than ever. She was getting a bit jealous to how he was slightly getting obsessed with Lucy. Lily had one day told her that Gajeel believes Lucy to be alive. She knew he wouldn't believe such if he didn't have reason too. And she really missed her best friend. But Levy knew not to keep her hopes up.

The guild doors slammed open. A blond man walked in and walked towards Mira at the bar.

"Laxus! You are back early. How was your mission? Where's the Raijinshū?"

"Good Mira. They are coming. Where's Wendy?"

Gajeel's eyebrows twitched. He though to himself

"Had Laxus figured it out? Before me?! ! #$ !" He remained still in the same seating position before Laxus arrived.

"Hm.. that's a good question. I haven't seen her for a while. And I don't think she took on any missions.. I wonder if she's okay. Why do you ask?"

"I wouldn't worry about her Laxus" said a soft voice.

Laxus turned his gaze towards his right. Master Mavis was standing next to him looking straight in his eyes with a smile.

Gajeel opened his eyes and looked to the owner of the soft voice. He knew then that Wendy had something to do with this.

In Laxus' stream of thought, "jackpot."

Master Makarov jumped down from the second floor and landed on a table next to Laxus. "Mira. Sorry for not telling you but I sent Wendy and Carla on a mission. Nothing to worry about. She'll be fine."

"Yes Master. " Mira smiled and continued to dry the dishes with a towel.

"Laxus, why are you interested in Wendy all of a sudden" Master Makarov asked with a serious tone. Something was suspicious about Laxus.

"Nothing. I just thought she ran away or something." Laxus said while looking indifferent.

"Oooohhhhh Laxus you are so sweet! You have a caring grandson Third Master!" Mavis said happily.

"Laxus you surprise me" Master Makarov said with eyebrows raised.

"Tch" Laxus turned around and walked towards the doors of the guild. At that moment the Raijinshū walked in and had headed towards him.

Laxus walked past them but he exchanged glances with Freed. Freed understood. Laxus needed time alone and the Raijinshū would operate without him for the time being.

Turning his head to the side while his body still walked towards the doors, "Jiji! I'm taking vacation leave!" with an arm up and his hand lazily waving goodbye.

"LAXXUUSSS!" Master Makarov yelled but Laxus had already left.

Gajeel got up from his seated. Patted levy's head with his hands. She was too engrossed in her book to realize he was leaving.

"Come on lily'"

Gajeel walked towards the exit and Lily followed after.

Mavis followed them with her eyes and watched them leave. Master Macao walked up next to the two Masters. He had been silently watching Gajeel for a while now and Laxus' unusual behavior caused him to raise his suspicions. Master Macao had been filled in about Lucy soon after Master Mavis approached Master Makarov.

"Master Makarov... I believe the two dragons slayers have gone hunting" Macao said in a low voice.

"Hm….. I believe so too…" With his arms crossed, he hoped that those two wouldn't cause any trouble…

Mavis just sat calmly at the bar. They would just have to wait and see how things would unfold.

* * *

Laxus got on the boat. He had a pack slung over his shoulders. It was sunset. It was a wonder that there was a boat so last minute and late in the day. He walked towards the bow of the boat and dropped his pack. He gazed over the salty shimmery waters and the beautiful sunset before him. He inhaled a deep breath of air… he smirked..

"Well… aren't you a lost puppy"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!" someone roared behind him. He turned his head to see Gajeel in the corner of his eye. Gajeel followed him and was now leaning against the railing of the boat with his own pack and exceed on his shoulder.

"You just keep following me around." Laxus chuckled and grinned. He enjoyed knowing that he figured it out before Gajeel did.

"Tch. IM NOT FOLLOWING YOU."

"Oh really? Then why are you here?"

Gajeel was giving him a death glare and was grumbling under his breath.

"Haha. If you can't figure out where I am going, then you don't deserve to be on this boat. Get off"

"I know where she is. And im gonna find bunnygirl before you Sparky."

"HA! Then where is she?" Laxus in a smirk and glare, accepting his challenge.

"She's on Tenrou Island" Gajeel said proudly with a smirk. He knew he was right. Laxus had given it away when he said he would go on vacation after his conversation with the guild Masters, especially with Master Mavis. Gajeel wasn't stupid.

"Wow I'm impressed. There is a brain in that iron head of yours"

"SHUT UP!" Gajeel had lunged forward with a fist up.

Laxus got serious and looked out towards the waters again.

Gajeel stood up and looked out as well.

Neither were prepared for what they would do or say once they met her… what did she look like.. how much was she affected… changed..

Engines started roaring… the boat had begun to move…

And then it hit them both.

Both grabbed on tightly to the railings with one arm… hunching over on their knees… one hand over their mouths..

Lily stood away from them, far from the splash zone. He couldn't help laughing hysterically as he saw the two dragon slayers being affected by their motion sickness. It would be a long ride to Tenrou Island.


	10. Polling Time!

Hiiii~

Thank you all for participating in the poll! Time is up and I have a general outline of where I wanna go. Thanks again for participating and for continuing to read my story!


	11. Like Old Times

**********Please leave me a review~!**

**********It is much appreciated :) I find motivation to write faster through your comments and compliments!**

******Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

******Thank you all for participating in my poll. I have a general direction that I want to go now. Still subject to change. The top pairings were:  
********Lalu, Nalu, GaLevy, Gruvia, Mira/Freed, Galu, and Natsu/Lisanna. **

******The most interesting pairings were: GraLevy, Natsu/Erza, Natsu/Mira, Cana/Bixlow, Lisanna/Bixlow.  
Verrrry interesting pairings.**

******The next chapter will be Rabbit Season for Dragons Part 2!**

* * *

Lucy trained by rotating her spirits. For that particular day, it was Aquarius, Scorpio, Taurus, and Saggitarius who trained with her. Aquarius and Scorpio had to be together, or else the two would never stay for long. After a good run, the four celestial spirits and Lucy sparred around a rocky waterfall.

Wendy was meditating a far ways away. She was maintaining a tornado around her body, levitating somewhat in the air. Holding her breath, she was silencing out her surroundings.

Carla was training her aera to be more helpful to Wendy by flying in and out of the tornado.

When night hit, Lucy summoned Lyra. For some reason, all her spirits had open schedules now and Lyra offered to provide Wendy Carla and Lucy company every night. After dinner, Lyra would give beautiful performances in the tent until everyone would fall asleep.

Lyra was watching Lucy sleep. Loke appeared next to her. Lyra looked up to Loke "I just want to enjoy her the way she is now… Let me stay just a little longer.."

"I know.. We all do… See you tomorrow." Loke vanished.

* * *

Romeo had heard what Master Makarov said. "So that's why I haven't seen her…."

Gray walked into the guild with Juvia. Romeo saw Gray and he ran up to the half-naked man. He grabbed Gray's hand and pulls him outside the guild.

"Oiy, Romeo! What's up? Heeyy!"

Romeo kept his silence while pulling Gray into a corner away from the guild. Once he checked that they were alone.

"Romeo. What's going on?"

"Do you know what mission Wendy went on?"

"Huh? Wendy went on a mission? How should I know. Shouldn't Mira know?"

"No she doesn't. Wendy was sent on a mission by master himself. Master Makarov. And yesterday… Laxus came in and asked where Wendy was."

"Laxus?" Gray was surprised. Laxus wasn't particularly the type of guy who would worry about the little dragon slayer.

"Yea! Weird right? And Gajeel was weird too! Laxus told Master he was going on vacation leave right after asking about Wendy and Gajeel followed after. I haven't seen him since."

"Hm… let me ask Levy. She would know what's going on if Gajeel is in on it"

The two walked back into the guild and Gray walked up to the blue haired girl.

"Hey Levy"

"Hi Gray. Did you just come back from a mission? I saw Juvia come in."

"Yea. Where's Gajeel?"

Levy was startled. "Whaaattt? I don't know…Wh…Whyy would I know where he is?."

"Oh okay. Just wondering since you are closest to Gajeel. Let me know when he gets back. "

Levy blushed "O..okay".

Gray walked away towards Romeo. She let out a sigh of relief. She tried acting like nothing was bothering her and acted like she was reading. Jet and Droy were looking for a mission to go on and hadn't noticed Gray approach her.

She thought, "Gajeel must have found a lead. That was close.. I wonder why Gray is looking for Gajeel.." Without thinking, Levy whispered.. "Lucy… "

Natsu had heard her. He got up from his table with Lisanna and walked up to Levy. He slammed his hand onto the table.

"What are you hiding Levy." Natsu demanded.

"What.. do you mean.. N..Nnattssuu?"

"You're hiding something.. something smells fishy…." He wrinkled his nose and took little sniffs.

"STOP BULLYING LEVY NATSU!" Jet and Droy yelled while stomping over to the table.

"What are you talking about Natsu?! I'm not hiding anything!" Levy protested.

Everyone in the guild was watching now. It was unusual for Natsu to confront Levy like that.

Gray was watching now. He knew that if someone as dense as Natsu felt something was fishy.. something was DEFINITELY fishy…

He looked towards Romeo. Romeo looked back. Both had come to the same conclusion.

"You just called out her name. "

Oh no.. Levy was dying inside. He had heard her… She quickly responded back.

"Why? Can't I call her name?"

Gray spoke loudly "Oiy Natsu. Drop it."

"She was my best friend too. " Levy said while looking down at the table top.

Silence.

"Sorry… its been tough for you too huh Levy."

Natsu was so nice all of a sudden. He's had changed so much.

"Its okay natsu..." She smiled weakly while looking back at Natsu's face.

Natsu put his hand on top of her hand that was resting on top of the table.

"But you're still hiding something" His eyes were stern. He wasn't going to bend.

"NATSU GET YOUR HAND OFF OF HER" Jet and Droy attacked Natsu and a brawl started.

The tense atmosphere disappeared like that and another brawl started in the guild. Levy just wanted to disappear in her seat… She hid herself behind her book and tried to slip away.

In the midst of the brawl, people were going in and out of the guild to avoid and join the brawl. Gray saw a flash of golden hair. His eyes widened and he bolted for the exit.

He went outside and saw a glimpse of the golden haired man walking into an alleyway. He ran over and went inside the alley way. They were alone.

Trying to catch his breath, "Loke…"

"Yo Gray." Loke swished his raised hand once in a greeting.

"You're here.. how are you here…."

"That's not important. Can you tell me what you saw."

"About what?"

"That day"

Gray was shocked. He stuttered "D...don't you know?"

"I am here to confirm. You were the other witness."

Gray explained what he saw. He was wondering why it took so long for Loke to come and ask. If he could come in the first place, why now?

"I see.. Thanks Gray." Loke started walking away.

"Wait! Loke!"

"Don't worry Gray…. She's… alive and well" Loke smiled.

Turning his back on him, "Don't tell anyone." Loke vanished.

Tears streamed out. He slumped on his knees. Had he heard right? He had. He must have.

"Thank God… Thank God you are alive… " He felt like a heavy weight lifted from his chest. He felt light. Excitement was running through his veins. He was overflowing with emotions and he needed to release. He ran back into the guild. Did Levy know? Did Gajeel, Laxus, Wendy.. Did they all know?!

* * *

"Yo flamebreath!"

"What you call me ice princess?!" He looked at gray. Natsu had been interrogating Levy again and she looked like she was going to cry. He noticed something different about Gray. He was happier. Did something happen?

He ran and punched Natsu in the face. Natsu went flying.

"Tch you've gotten soft Natsu. I guess Im now stronger than you. Hehe" Gray was rotating his fists to pump blood into them.

"GRAYYY YOU!" Fire was burning in his eyes.

"Beat him good Gray-sama! "Juvia yelled!

"Tch" With a grin, Gray looked towards Levy. He winked at her.

Juvia paled. "WHHHAAAAA! ANOTHER LOVE RIVALLLLL!"

Levy blushed. What was that all about she thought. She looked towards Juvia. A dark intense aura was coming from Juvia and it sent chills up her spine.. "EEEEEPP SHE SAW THAT!?"

Levy was crying inside. She thought, "Why is this happening!.. How did you handle it all Lucyyyy!"

"GRRAAYYYYYYYY!" Natsu lunged towards Gray and the brawl continued.

It had been a while since Natsu and Gray had fought. It was like old times…

* * *

Gajeel, Laxus, and full sized Lily crawled, coughing out seawater, onto the rocky beach… They were wet and exhausted. They collapsed on the rocky beach.

Their boat was getting close to the island but to their surprise a small tsunami had appeared near the shore. Someone was creating the tsunami with their magic. Dangerously close by, a strong watersprout formed and was causing strong currents and high dangerous winds.

The captain of the boat quickly turned the boat around and was retreating from the island. Laxus and Gajeel in their motion sickness had no choice but to jump off the boat into the ocean. Lily couldn't fly due to the thunderstorm and high winds.

The waterspout collided with the small tsunami.

It was a wonder how they survived. But what was more surprising was that it was all Lucy and Wendy's doing.. They had made the tsunami and waterspout.

As they were gasping for air.. lying on the rocky surface.. wet and tired from swimming in storm waters… they couldn't help but think..

What had they got themselves into…


	12. Rabbit Season for Dragons Part 2

**Please leave me a review~!**

**It is much appreciated :) I find motivation to write faster through your comments and compliments!**

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

**so... a pretty long chapter. :D Enjoy!**

* * *

After finally mustering up strength to stand up, the two dragons slayers and Lily started their search for the girls. Fortunately for them, they had picked up their scent and started towards the direction it seemed to smell stronger.

Laxus was too exhausted to tell Gajeel to get lost. He let himself be accompanied by the black haired man. Gajeel was too tired to pick a fight with Laxus and kept to himself. Lily was too scared to go off by himself alone, he could still hear the lightning from the storm in his head. And so the three stuck with each other.

Laxus hated the ocean. He was a lightning dragon slayer. He couldn't be anymore helpless stranded in an ocean.

Gajeel hated the ocean too. He was an iron dragon slayer. His iron would rust. And that was not a good look for his manly figure.

Lily was an exceed and he did not like lightning. The lightning storm, watersprout, and tsunami…. He was not in a happy place.

The three trudged on into the island, grabbing onto trees and boulders for support. It was weird. They had kept walking towards Lucy and Wendy's scent.. but the scent was everywhere! What had these girls been doing…

The sky had cleared up. It was sunny again and hot. They stopped to rest and were sitting down in a shaded area.

Laxus took off his wet travel cloak and dropped it next to him. He took a shoe off and ocean water spilled out from it. He looked annoyed. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt and loose black pants that went a little past his knees.

Gajeel was taking his boots off too. Even more ocean water came out from his than Laxus'. He sighed from relief at the comfort of his free feet. He was wearing his usual outfit.

Lily had transformed to his smaller form and was lying on the grass. He had his eyes closed and was enjoying the summer weather and breeze.

Suddenly they heard a scream. They shot their attention towards the direction of the scream. They knew whose it was.

The two men quickly put on their shoes and dashed towards the owner of the scream. Lily was flying behind them. They ran through the lush vegetation and saw someone running towards them.

Lucy was screaming and crying at the same time. She was being chased by a very ugly Hodras. It was smiling and chomping air to try and catch Lucy.

Lucy was too preoccupied to notice the two men and exceed standing up along the path. She was definitely in panic mode. She tripped on a small root of a tree and was falling onto her side. As she was falling, she saw both Laxus and Gajeel leap over her, their faces serious and angry. She skid across the ground, rolling as she came to a stop. Once she had stopped, she looked back at the Hodras' direction to make sure she had seen right.

She had. With wide eyes she saw Gajeel and Laxus kick the Hodras' head straight on. The hodras tumbled backwards and lay on its back motionless. It was a one hit KO.

Gajeel and Laxus landed on their feet, close to and facing each other. They were in a short staring contest, declaring without words their acceptance to the challenge. The challenge to rescue Lucy and bring her back to the guild, though neither knew what they truly felt about the girl to enter such a competition.

They simultaneously broke the staring contest and looked towards Lucy. Lucy was startled by their sudden change of attention to her. She had been watching their little staring contest and could sense the tension rising from them. They started walking towards her and her heart began racing.

"Wait.. Why is my heart racing.. Oh.. no.. they are getting closer.. Get up Lucy!" she thought.

She lifted her upper body up with her arms and tried moving her leg. A shot of pain ran up her leg. She winced and clenched her fists. There was a huge gash on her leg and it was bleeding. Somehow while she was rolling, she had scraped her leg across a sharp rock. She was going to be in big trouble … especially by Loke…

Lily flew down next to her and examined the wound. Lucy was speechless. Why were they here? Had they really just saved her?

Lily came close to Lucy's face and stared into her eyes. Lucy just stared back not knowing what was going on. With a paw, Lily poked Lucy's nose a couple times. It was Lucy all right.

"Hi Lucy" Lily said with a smile.

"H..Hi.. Lily" Lucy said. She was still unsure of what to make of this whole situation. Lily had just poked her nose. Weird Lily.

Gajeel and Laxus were still walking up to Lucy slowly. Lily looked back to check on the two men and he grinned mischievously. Lily had seen their staring competition and Lily wanted in. It would be fun.

"Gihi"

Lily transformed into his large form and gently picked Lucy up bridal style. He dashed away from the two men, without looking back.

"LILLLYYY!" Gajeel yelled as he started running.

"YOU ! #$ CATT!" Laxus started running as well. He sent a bolt of lightning to Gajeel. Gajeel was hit and he stumbled onto the ground. His hair frizzy and smoke coming off of his body, Gajeel opened his rage filled eyes and yelled.

"LAAAXXUUUSSS!"

Laxus laughed heartily as he ran after Lily. Gajeel got up and ran as fast as he could after them.

"Lily!" Lucy was scared for her life. She was being carried by an exceed and now two angry dragon slayers were running after them. WHY WERE THEY ANGRY AND RUNNING AFTER THEM!

"Sorry Lucy. Where's Wendy? Let's get you healed first."

"uh…OOOHH! NO NO! I CAN'T GO BACK LIKE THIS?"

"And why is that?" Lily asked while looking forward. He was running as fast as he could away from the angry dragon slayers.

"uh… well.. I kind of ran away.. my spirits are being super overprotective right now. I just needed a break" Lucy sighed. "Some of them come out on their own now and I just needed my own girl time. I kind of left my keys at the camp otherwise they would come wherever I go…"

"Haha I see. Is that why you couldn't fight that ugly pig? How'd you get it so angry in the first place?"

"Heh heh… yea… I accidently stepped on its tail.. " Lucy hid her face in her hands.

"HAHAHAHA!" Lily laughed before he was tackled on his side by a bright light. He let go of Lucy and was pushed hard into some trees. She was sailing in the air for a little before strong arms caught her and brought her close to another strong chest.

She was being held again… by someone else… She peeked through her fingers slowly.. blonde hair.. lightning scar… LAAXXUUSS!

Her eyes widened. SHE WAS BEING CARRIED BY LAXUS?!

He noticed she was staring through her fingers. Without looking back at her..

"Yo Blondie"

"EEEEPPP!" she hid herself in her hands again. She was blushing wild. She didn't know what was going on.

Laxus laughed. He was enjoying this side to Lucy very much. And this definitely was Lucy. When he had found her being chased by the Hodras, he couldn't believe it was her. She had changed so much. She was looking better than ever. Hair was all down and flowing with the wind. Her body was more defined and she was wearing a tight fitting white and yellow striped tank and black shorts.

He noticed that Lucy was starting to feel colder by touch. He looked towards her leg. Blood was trickling down and dropping with every lunge he took.

With his attention on her leg, Laxus didn't notice the dark shadow that had crept up close to him. A metal pole punched Laxus' shoulder, causing Laxus to twist with the punch. This sudden attack had taken Laxus by surprise and it made him lose grip of Lucy. Lucy opened her eyes and peered through her fingers. She saw Laxus twisting in the air, his face and attention going towards a direction away from Lucy.. something was familiar.. dread filled her.. she saw him twisting so that now his back was to her… this was definitely familiar.. her eyes widened… tears welling in her eyes…

This feeling of falling… this feeling of dread….

A shadow appeared in front of her vision, blocking out Laxus. Red eyes… her eyes were now wide with fear.. so much fear.. these were not the same murderous red eyes she had seen before.. but it did trigger…..

Her head felt like a steel hammer was ramming it. She couldn't breath. A mad wave of memories came back..

The shadow enveloped her.. she was being hugged but she couldn't feel.. she landed on top of his body… Gajeel exited out of his iron shadow dragon mode as he lay on the ground. What he had seen…. Was pure fear in her eyes… bunnygirl was scared of him? He was scared now. He was really scared. Bunnygirl had never shown that kind of look to him. NEVER. Even when he was in Phantom Lord. And what he saw…. He snapped back to reality.

"This is bad… LUCYYYY!" Gajeel put his arms around her body. Hugging her to calm her down….

Laxus was on his feet again and anger and sparks overflowing. He was ready to lunge and attack Gajeel but then he heard Gajeel cry out for Lucy. He dropped his attack stance and his eyes widened..

Lucy was laying on top of Gajeel's body.. but she was hyperventilating.. her eyes wide open.. tears streaming.. Gajeel was hugging her down to try and calm her down.. He was gritting his teeth with his eyes were shut closed.

Laxus ran over to Lucy's side.. he put his hand on her stomach.

"LUCY.. Lucyyy… you have to breath slower.. LUCY!"

Her eyes were wide open, but they did not see… she could hear shouting… but she couldn't process what was being said…. She was reliving that moment.. again and again in her head.. she was seeing it happen.. right before her eyes..

"WHAT DID YOU DO GAJEEL?!"

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! I CAUGHT HER AND SHE…"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP AND CALM HER DOWN!" Lily shouted. He had flown over and he landed on the other side of Gajeel's body.

In a soft voice, Lily spoke "Lucy… Lucy you have to calm down. Try and breathe slower."

No response.

Gajeel gritted his teeth as he said "Lily… go…get help…"

Lily was wide eyes. Gajeel had just asked to go get help.. He quickly spread his wings and took off.

"I'll go too.. " Laxus said lowly before flashing away as lightning.

Gajeel pushed himself up and repositioned Lucy to sit on his lap, legs both falling off on one thigh and head leaning on the arm opposite of her legs. The arm was wrapped around her back and gripping onto her hip.

With his free hand, he gently position Lucy's face to look into his eyes. Without taking his hand away from her cheek, he observed her face. She was still hyperventilating and tears were cascading down her face. She was pale and her eyes were deep with hurt and fear…

"I'm.. sorry.. I'm sorrryy for everything that I did… Please… just calm down and talk to me…"

He gently tilted her head forward… and kissed her forehead.

Her breathing slowed down. The kiss. She had felt it and it triggered her back. With shaking hands she lifted a hand to grab the hand on her cheek. She clenched it… her whole body shaking…

It surprised him. She was getting colder by the minute. He grabbed her hand in a better position and wrapped his arm around her tighter. He brought her closer to his chest, head buried safely between his neck and shoulder.


	13. Ocean Ledge

**Please leave me a review~!**

**It is much appreciated :) I find motivation to write faster through your comments and compliments!**

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

**I know I updated late. So here! An extra long chapter!  
**

* * *

It was a normal day.. At least as normal day after the incident could get.. Mira sighed. The guild had been a lot quieter after Lucy's passing. Erza was barely around anymore. Gray and Natsu stopped fighting as much. She assumed that their fighting reminded them of Lucy more. It was Lucy who always yelled at them for fighting when Erza was gone. Mira looked around the guild.

A few tables away, Natsu had his head in his crossed arms. He had grown a little. His fiery spirit came out from time to time.. but he was a little different.. a little awkward.. He smiled to his guild members when he saw them..but it wasn't the same smile as before.. Mira knew better. Natsu was feeling lost. How could she not know how he felt.. he had to experience losing two of his best friends twice..

"Hello there Mirajane."

"Oh Gildarts!" Mira smiled. "What can I do for you?"

"How long as Natsu been moping around like that?" He turned around to look at Natsu.

"… it's been a while.. He's still grieving."

"Hm….."

Gildarts was scratching his chin. "Okay Mira. Natsu and I will be gone for a while."

"Just you and Natsu?"

Gildarts smiled at Mira. "That boy needs a man to man talk. He can't be moping around forever."

Cana walked up to Gildarts "Make sure you get some sense back into him."

Gildarts turned around to Cana with hearts in his eyes "Cana! I hope you don't mind daddy leaving for a little bit."

Cana said smiling "Yea yea. Just hurry up and grab him before you lose him."

"Just don't kill him Gildarts" Mira said smiling, but with a dark aura seeping out from her.

"I'll try." Gildarts smiled. This was going to be fun. And by the time they came back, he hoped the old Natsu would return as well.

Gildarts walked over to Natsu with heavy thuds and grabbed Natsu's scarf and shirt. He flung Natsu over his shoulder and waved with his free hand good bye to Mira and Cana as he walked towards the guild doors.

"WHAA! AAHHHHH! GILDARTS LET ME DOWN!"

"Nope you and I are going on a Man retreat"

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! HAPPYYY!" Natsu struggled to be released from Gildarts.

"Nattsuuuu!" Happy flew after the two. The guild doors closed and they were gone.

Cana faced Mira "Mira the guild is so quiet now. Where is everyone?"

Mira had a look of concern on her face "I know. Everyone's gone.. Gray went to train at some snowy mountain. Juvia followed as usual. Levy, Jet and Droy have been taking missions constantly. Gajeel has run off somewhere, probably to train. Laxus took vacation leave. And Erza is taking S-class missions as they come. The raijinshu have been out for a while now. Lisanna and Elf-man have been doing missions together and now.. even Natsu is gone for who knows how long…" She sighed…

"With it being so quiet… I can't even enjoy my beer. I guess I should go on a mission too." Cana looked out lazily at the empty tables of the guild.

"If even Cana was going to go out on a mission… SOBER.." Mira thought.. "how much had Fairy Tail changed. Could they ever go back to what they were before…"

* * *

Lucy was back at the campsite now. She was in the tent sleeping peacefully in her sleeping back. Wendy had been lightning transported with Laxus to Gajeel and Lucy. Laxus was amazed that Gajeel had successfully calmed her down so quickly after he left. Lucy's leg was completely healed and there appeared to be no significant other damages to her body.

The minute Lucy was brought back to the camp, Loke appeared and punched Gajeel in the face and quickly kicked Laxus in the chest after. The celestial spirit was furious.

He roared "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" He was ready to punch Gajeel again with Regulus punch but stopped attacking when Wendy got between the two dragon slayers and Loke. She had her arms out and looked firmly into Loke's eyes.

"Loke-san. Calm down. She's fine and all she had was a scratch on her leg." Wendy said without backing down. She lied.. a little.. but he would never know.

Gajeel wiped the side of his mouth where Loke had punched him with the back of his hand. "Tch"

Laxus walked up a little from where he was kicked and gave a death glare to Loke.

Gajeel and Laxus noticed Wendy finally as she stood between them and Loke. They were too preoccupied with Lucy to notice how much the little dragon slayer had changed.

Wendy was a little taller and had gained a little muscle. Her body seemed to have matured a little as she had a bit more curves now. She was looking slightly more towards the Edolas Wendy. She was more confident now. And boy was she stronger.

She commanded "Laxus-san, Gajeel-san… Loke-san. Please take a seat around the campfire. I don't want to resort to fighting with you all but if you insist on fighting with each other. I will have no other choice…"

Laxus had an amused face. Gajeel was giving Wendy a smirk. They thought.. oh so Wendy thinks she's all grown up now huh?

Loke's face paled and knew he didn't want to start anything with Wendy. He put his hands up, chest level, showing his palms in defeat. "Oh. Okay. I'm sorry Wendy. I'm sorry okay?"

Gajeel and Laxus gave Loke a confused look. Why was Loke apologizing. It's not like the little girl could actually beat them…. Right? They remembered the watersprout Oh.

Something was off. Wendy started trembling. She was facing Loke and Loke deadpanned now. Gajeel and Laxus could smell something.. Their face paled too. "OH NO…"

Wendy dropped on her knees and brought her hands up to her face. Tears were streaming… "AAaaahhhhhhhhh!"

Lily was shocked too. CarlA's face was getting red with anger.

Lily yelled "GAAJEELLL LAXUSS DO SOMETHING!"

Gajeel yelled back "WHAT! WHAT DID I DO? WHAT DO I DO?!"

Carla yelled back at the two dragon slayers and Loke. "YYOU GUYS MADE HER CRY! FIX IT!"

Laxus walked up slowly and put a hand on Wendy's shoulder. "Don't cry Wendy. We won't fight okay?"

She looked up at the crouching Laxus next to her. She sniffled and nodded her head. Who knew Laxus was so good with kids.

Gajeel let out a sigh of relief. He relaxed his body. He had tensed up unconsciously. He did not know handle crying little girls... like Wendy.. Levy.. Bunnygirl… He still couldn't believe he kissed bunnygirl on the forehead. It was a miracle that Lucy calmed down from it and he didn't know how to explain what overcame him to do such a thing.

Loke was watching Wendy being lifted up onto her feet by Laxus. That Wendy. She was sure sly and clever now. He had been the one who taught her to use her innocence as a weapon against her opponents, especially tears to get what she wanted. And he never would have thought it would be used against him.

He sulked over to the campfire and sat quietly on a log. The two men and Wendy followed after. They could hear the crackling of the firewood.

"Tell me in detail what happened.. How did you guys know to find us here.." Loke started.

"We overheard Master Mavis. She hinted that Lucy wasn't dead to Master Makarov. I'm assuming only the guild masters know about Lucy being alive. And I figured that if Lucy were to survive death, it would be here on this island. Divine protection. And this metal head followed me here"

"WHAT! NO I DID NOT!" Gajeel had a fist up and a death glare towards Laxus.

Laxus just rolled his eyes.

Wendy was looking at Gajeel with watery eyes… Gajeel saw her and calmed down. Loke thought "Oh… she's good….."

"Tch. And on our way here we almost got killed by a watersprout and a tsunami. We had to swim from the boat to the island in storm waters."

Lily had a scared look in his eyes and he covered both his ears with his paws. Carla gave Lily a concerned look but continued paying attention to Gajeel who was now speaking.

Wendy spoke softly "Sorry about that.. Lucy-san and I were training. I guess we got carried away and didn't see your boat."

Laxus and Gajeel raised their brows in surprise. So they were right. IT was Lucy and Wendy.

Lily was surprised too. He put his paws down from his ears. "When we finally got on the Island.." Everyone's attention went to Lily now. "We were following yours and Lucy's scent. But we got slightly lost. Your scents were everywhere. And so when we took a break and heard Lucy scream. We went to go save her and so Gajeel and Laxus knocked the ugly Hodras chasing her"

"Its all my fault. If only if I had been there.. she wouldn't have had to get hurt. She got hurt from the Hodras right?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself" Laxus spoke lowly. "You saved her. She could've died that day and you were smart to bring her here."

"Actually.. She did technically die that day. At least for a little while" Carla added.

"Loke-san." Lily spoke in a soft manner. "She just wanted to take a little breather. She didn't mean to get hurt. She actually got hurt from tripping on a something."

Loke face palmed himself. "Lucy…." He chuckled softly.

"Once I found that her would wasn't too bad. I tried to bring her to Wendy so that she could be healed. And It.. kinda… became a competition." A sweat dropped on Lily's temple.

Loke raised his eyebrows amused. Laxus Gajeel and Lily had fought over Lucy? No way.

"Loke…" Laxus said with a serious face. It was grim. "something happened."

Dread filled Loke's stomach. It was turning. He hoped…

"While I was carrying Lucy.. I was punched by this stupid metal head and lost my grip of her"

Loke's eyes widened… No.. please….

"HEY!" Gajeel barked and crossed his arms. He moved his head to face away from the group. "I caught her before she even fell on the ground." Gajeel grumbled.

"Whatever. It's still your fault" Laxus gave him a glare. Gajeel turned his gaze to glare back at Laxus.

"W…wai…wait.. what are you saying?! Tell me now what happened!" Loke was trembling now. Wendy's eyes were wide again too. She knew what Loke was fearing. She was feeling a dread as well.

"I…I caught her. She was fine. She didn't get a scratch.. but when I saw her eyes.." Gajeel looked down at his feet between his thighs. "She was dead scared. I've never seen her like that"

Wendy gasped. She looked at Loke's face with tears welling in her eyes.. She whispered "She remembers…."

The three newcomers shot their eyes towards Wendy and Loke. Laxus spoke in a booming voice "She didn't remember? And you didn't tell her? THE WHOLE TIME?!"

Loke clenched his fists while his face was dark facing the ground. He had his eyes closed and then droplets fell from them. "ch..chh… I…. couldn't…."

Gajeel, Laxus, and Lily looked at him in shock. This was not good. Lucy hadn't gotten to terms with the incident yet.. and they are the ones that triggered her memory back.. meaning the Lucy they saw.. had no clue had happened… that people thought she was dead.. they had a funeral for her.. that her teammates were all mourning her death.. the whole guild had changed..

Laxus rubbed his temples with his thumb and middle finger of one hand. Gajeel was just silent. "That's why she looked at me.. that's why she…" Gajeel thought.

* * *

No one talked for the rest of the night. Carla and Wendy made dinner and everyone ate quietly. Waiting anxiously for Lucy to wake up.. yet at the same time dreading the moment she would wake up… Time was going by so slowly.

The two dragon slayers had lost their packs in the ocean and Loke asked Virgo to bring extra clothes, camping gear, and other necessities for the newcomers. Everyone went to their designated tents.

The two dragon slayers and Lily were sharing a tent while the girls were in another next to theirs. The two men could smell Wendy's dried tears and confirmed that she had fallen asleep through her constant breathing pattern. Both men were wide awake and had their eyes wide open. It was dark and they remained motionless. Lily had finally fallen asleep between them.

She opened her eyes. It was dark. She wasn't in pain anymore but she felt like she couldn't breathe. She remembered everything. To make sure her celestial spirits didn't sense she was awake, she forced herself to stay calm and breathe slowly. Pushing herself, she sat up on her sleeping bag. She looked next to her and saw Wendy and Carla sleeping. She slowly got up and quietly exited the tent.

She was barefoot and because of her training, had learned to walk silently through the forest without a sound. She walked away from camp, not knowing where she was going and not thinking about anything.

Laxus and Gajeel heard someone rustle their sleeping bag. The girls didn't change in the way they were breathing. Maybe someone was rolling around. Then they heard a swish from Lucy's tent. They were on high alert now. Laxus sat up. Gajeel noticed. A breeze of air gently came into their tent. Lucy's scent. Laxus bolted up and exited the tent. He walked over to the girls' tent and quietly looked inside. Wendy was sleeping with Carla in her arms.. but Lucy… her sleeping bag was empty!

Panic. Panic. Panic. He looked around camp. He followed her scent in a direction away from camp. Gajeel ran up. The two men were fast walking.. then jogging.. then running..

They saw a shadow up before them. When they got closer, they saw Lucy.. standing on a ledge facing the wide ocean. The moonlight was bright enough to light the ocean.. the island.. Lucy..

"Lucy.." Laxus said gently taking a step forward.

There was no breeze now. Only the sound of waves crashing below the ledge could be heard. Lucy slowly turned around to face them. Tears were streaming down her face. Her eyes were dull and she looked exhausted…

"Lucy.. step away from the ledge" Gajeel said softly taking a step forward as well.

She just looked at them... tears dropped…

"I… want to stop." Lucy said softly.. "I… don't.. want to be a mage anymore…."


	14. Intervention

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* * *

She cried harder.. still standing on the ledge…

The two men were still as rocks. Nothing could have prepared them for this. This was definitely not supposed to happen. They were supposed to bring Lucy back to Fairy Tail safe and sound. And everyone would be happy. But this girl in front of them.. was just as close to dying again.. EVEN if they did get her out from the danger she was in.. Lucy would never be the same…

Loke must have realized it before them.. By not telling her of that day.. of her lost memory.. he was just prolonging the inevitable.. they stood there realizing this.. mind racing to try and figure a way out.. try and convince Lucy not to give up… but what right had they to demand such. She had died and was given another chance to live... she was terribly traumatized. They heard what had happened in detail from Loke earlier that day. His side..Gray's side. It was a straight nightmare.

Her sobbing rang into their ears.. slowly regaining their composure.. shock turning to anger..

"So that's it?" Laxus said in a booming voice that seemed to cut through Lucy's sobbing.. the soft sound of the ocean waves below the ledge. "You're just going to give up?"

She looked at him with tired eyes, standing dropped at her sides. Laxus was angry but she didn't care. She was emotionless now. Nothing could make her hurt now, her heart was numb.. frozen...

"YO bunnygirl" Gajeel said darkly. "You've been through situations that have almost killed you. Situations where you probably should have died. But you survived. Heck you even survived me. And look at you now. You are here. You ain't dead yet. And you're gonna just give up AFTER EVERYTHING YOU WENT THROUGH…." He growled.

Her chocolate wet eyes looked at Gajeel now. Gajeel's anger and disappointment didn't phase her either. She couldn't feel.

"Why did you even join Fairy Tail? Why did you even want to be a mage? WHAT did you FIGHT for?" Laxus said in a low and calm voice now. "The Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail I know would NEVER give up."

Lucy couldn't feel anything anymore. She had been very cold when she walked to the ledge.. so very cold and it had like felt nothing could warm her. And now she couldn't feel the ground… she didn't smell the ocean.. she couldn't move...

"You said your friends were the most important things to you. So I guess these keys mean nothing to you" Gajeel lifted his forearm horizontally in front of him, Lucy's key bag in his hand. "These spirits are supposedly your friends. If you quit being a mage, aren't you abandoning them? Was all that nakama talk just bs?"

A bright light came from one of the keys and a crying Loke appeared between the two dragon slayers and Lucy. Her expression didn't change, emotionless gaze and tears running down her face.

"Lucy…." He started very gently and in a loving manner. As if a brother was consoling his crying little sister. "Weren't you the one who told me not to give up. You were the one that saved me from disappearing? I wont let you give up. I wont let you…I WONT LET YOU. What's the point of living as a celestial spirit if I can't be your strength and protect you."

Lucy was looking at Loke now. His speech must have gotten to her. He was careful not to sound angry.

"I'm not angry with you. But if you were going to… give up… give up on me anyways...you should've let me die."

Her eyes widened. She didn't mean for this to happen. She was just so hurt…

What happened next was the unthinkable. A loud rumble was heard. All the stars above began rotating fast to create bright arching streaks in the night sky. The ocean waters shot upwards creating a tall wall of ocean water dangerously close to Lucy since she was almost at the very tip of the ledge. A bright light began to shine through the water wall and an even louder rumbling was resounding through the air. The ocean wall split into two and revealed a gigantic armoured celestial spirit. He had his arms crossed and took a step foward between the two tall walls of ocean water.

Laxus and Gajeel couldn't believe what they were seeing. They mouths agape, they felt fear and awe at the sight of the most powerful looking celestial spirit they've ever seen. They walked up slowly to stand next to a surprised and scared Loke. Lucy turned around slowly at met the gaze of the Stellar Spirit King.

"Human girl…" He said in his commanding and loud voice. "I have watched you for some time now.. and you are the most peculiar human girl I have ever come across.."

"You who call your spirits friends.. you who have respected each one and made them all love you… to face death to save my old friend who stands behind you… to influence Leo to promise to make you the strongest celestial human this world has seen yet.."

Lucy looked back at Loke in shock. Loke was smiling gently at Lucy.

"And not only Leo.. but all your celestial spirits have vowed such as well…to do so or die trying…." He paused.

Shock clearly evident in her face, Lucy looked back at the king. The stellar spirit king who came all the way.. to convince her?... no….

"It pains my heart to think that the radiant bonds between you, human girl, and your friends may be broken..They may never be able to fight alongside you, their cherished friend, ever again if you do as you say, give up on being a mage…."

Lucy was clutching her hands at her chest now. The tears were unending... Mouth quivering…

"Lucy…" Lucy turned around to face the three men. "I wont give up on you. We, your friends wont give up on you. You'll never be alone"

Her heart warmed just a little. She was gaining her feelings back.

"We'll be right here. Beside you. So stop this nonsense about quitting. We'll never let you go. Ever." Loke smiled warmly.

A smile crept up on her face. The three men smiled back in relief. Success. Her dark wall.. the one she was hiding behind alone... they had broken through.

Lucy turned to face the spirit king once again.

"Before I go..I have a gift" A small bright light descended down to Lucy and she held out cupped hands. The light nestled in her palms and materialized into two celestial bracelets. "The only conditions I have is that you must continue living on with your friends fighting.. living on…. And that the gift must be returned to me after you have no need of them."

She clutched them in her hands. "Thank you.. old mustache man.. You're the best" Lucy smiled widely as she looked up to his face.

He chuckled and began to fade away. "Goodbye Leo, human girl and human girl's friends." He became a bright light and the stars began to rotate once again. The ocean walls fell down and became as they were before the king's arrival.

Once everything had calmed down, she turned around. She slowly put the bracelets onto her wrists. They fit perfectly. She was suddenly hugged by Loke. He kissed her forehead. "Go rest now. I'll always be here if you need me. I'll see you tomorrow princess" He faded into a light and disappeared.

She looked at Gajeel and Laxus, both of them were watching her while smiling. Gajeel threw her keys at her and she caught them. The two took a step forward, now the two men were facing each other, and each lifted out a hand towards Lucy. Having noticed that both did the same thing.. awkward moment.. they death glared at each other…

Lucy smiled. The two men were too busy glaring at each other.. Lucy slowly put a hand in each of their hands. They broke their stares and looked towards Lucy who had started walking in front of them while holding their hands. She let go as she walked past them. A large cloak was gently place around her, hood and all. And as quickly as the cloak came, she was lifted up bridal style. He hadn't thought about what the night air was doing to her. Her hands were freezing.

She went to panic mode.. it was dark.. she was being carried.. oh no..

In a calming whisper "Don't worry. I won't let you fall. Relax and go to sleep"

She still trembled. Laxus had caught on early that she was panicking. He looked at Gajeel. Gajeel nodded without looking at the two. They knew.. to never drop her again.

She was feeling warmer.. and it felt so good.. like she hadn't felt warm for years. Her puffy eyes closed and sleep overcame her.

"Dream of good things Lucy"


	15. Hide and Seek Lucy

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* * *

Levy was depressed.. Gajeel had been gone for 4 months now. He hadn't told her where he was going.. He never brought her along to train.. He always went off alone with Lily. She sighed… she felt it again… chills went up her spine… She quickly looked around the guild to check if it was his doing…

Gray had come back a few days ago and was eyeing Levy curiously and suspiciously. He knew she was bothered by something… but was it about Lucy? Did she know? Or was it because Gajeel wasn't around. He just couldn't tell if she knew or not. I mean, Levy was Lucy's best friend. She would know right? But then again.. that flametard didn't know either. Gray felt like he was so winnnninngg! He chuckled to himself, taking his stare away from Levy. He was the only one who knew. At least that's what he thought. Now he began to think hard… Where is Lucy? If he were Lucy.. where would he be?

Juvia was seething with jealousy as Levy was gaining all of her Gray-samas attention ever since they came back. She watched Gray chuckle after staring at Levy for a while. Levy had noticed too of Gray's little chuckle. She blushed! WHY IS LOVE RIVAL TURNING TOMATO! Juvia could never catch her break. It started to rain above her.

"Juvia! You are going to get all the tables wet!" Mira loudly spoke.

Juvia noticed the rain and out of embarrassment made it stop. It was so easy for people to tell her emotions now. It had never been that way in Phantom Lord..

In the guild, things were slowly getting back to normal. Cana began drinking again and Lisanna was back to help out at the bar. Brawls happened here and there.

The guild doors opened abruptly. Titania had returned. She looked as stern and powerful as ever. Everyone cheered and welcomed her back. She walked through the center of the guild and looked towards Gray. He gave a slight nod while smiling as a greeting and she smiled back. She continued to the bar and met face to face to Mira.

"Hi Erza. How was your mission. It's been a while."

"Sorry Mira. Took some time off after completing the mission to train."

"Oh I see. Master is upstairs if you are going to meet him."

"Thanks."

She went up the stairs and reported to Master Makarov of her S-class mission. Everything had gone accordingly and she had single-handedly defeated the dark guild that had killed Lucy quietly and swiftly. Fortunately for Fairy Tail, the magic council had had enough of the no name dark guild and had asked Fairy Tail to exterminate them without much attention. With the ok from the magic council, master knew who to entrust such a stealthy task.. Erza Scarlet. By the time she was done with them, she looked like a demon coming out of the fire. They would never hurt anyone again.

* * *

Erza had exited the Master's office and was now just outside his door. At that moment the guild doors slammed open again. She walked forward to the railings of the second floor balcony.

A very tall bulky man and a pink haired man stood next to him. A flying exceed over them.

She put her elbows on the railing and bent over to lean on them.. She clasped her hands and a smile was evident in her face. Natsu was back.

Gildarts Natsu and Happy had finally returned. They walked slowly into the guild and everyone welcomed them back.

Mira was smiling very widely now as she held her hands in front of her. "Welcome back Gildarts, Natsu, Happy!"

Natsu gave his signature grin. He had life in his eyes. He was back but different. Everyone saw it. He had grown a little taller since he left. He looked and seemed more mature. His hair had grown a little longer and all the subtle changes made him a bit more handsome.

He and Gildarts were walking up to Mira and the slightly drunk Cana sitting at the bar. Happy flew over to Mira and hugged her.

"Mirraaa!" "Good to see you Happy! You haven't changed at all!" "Ayeee!"

Natsu noticed Gray sitting at a table to his left. The locked eyes and Natsu stood still. Everyone was silent all of a sudden.. Erza looked down from the second floor.

"Yo Ice Princess" Natsu's fists started gathering red magic pressure. Fire slowly materializing.

"Yo yourself Flamebreath" Grays hands were on the table in front of him. One hand in a fist and the other wrapping around the fist. Blue magic pressured around his fists as well. The top of the table was beginning to frost.

An armoured person dropped from the second floor and landed on their feet a few feet away from Gildarts and Natsu who were standing at the center of the guild. She held out two swords, one in each hand. Her weapons and armor were emitting off dense magical pressure. One was pointed towards Natsu and the other towards Gray.

Natsu and Gray turned their gaze to Erza. They all smirked. It had been a long time since the three were all simultaneously at the guild together. Everyone could feel the excitement and the power emitting from the three. They were really strong.

A yell was heard from the second floor "YOU BRATS! If you so much damage a chair…..I WWWWILLLLL CRUUSSHHHH YOUUUUU!" Ever since the GMG, the master had taken care that their new guild building stayed in tact and remained standing.

The three let their guard down. They brushed off their excitement to brawl and gazed up at their master.

"Hi gramps. I'm back." Natsu said in a mature and calm voice.

"Natsuu… my my… you've changed." He said while scratching his chin. The master was standing on the railing.

"Well that's what you get when you go on a vacation for some man to man time. Ey Natsu?" Gildarts poked Natsu with his elbow.

"YOU CALL THAT A VACATION!" Natsu reverted to his old self, fire emitting from his mouth from anger and his loud yelling. It caught everyone by surprise and soon after… a feeling relief overcame them all… the old Natsu was still in there. Everyone laughed. "I ALMOST DIED SO MANY TIMES! AND YOU JUST WATCHED ME.. MPH…MMMPPPHH!"

Gildarts had covered Natsu's mouth with his hands. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. Haha"

Mira was smiling with a slightly tilted head. Dark aura was emitting from her. She had specifically said not to kill Natsu and Natsu was giving a bad impression that Gildarts had tried to kill him several times.

"Calm down Mira! It was a man and nature experience. It's good for tough men like us."

"Yes that's a MAN!" Elf-man chimed in.

Mira just shook her head. "Oiy oiy.. Well I'm just glad you guys are all back now" She was smiling again.

Natsu had wiggled free from Gildart's grips. He took a much needed breath. That man's hands were so large they covered his nostrils so he had been suffocating.

After catching his breath he yelled "I'M HUNGRY! LET'S EAT AND PPPARRTTYYY!"

"YEAAAAHHHHHH!" resonated throughout the guild.

Gray watched the guild being animated again. It was so good to see them happy… laughing….

He smiled. "Hurry back Lucy… How long do you plan to keep us waiting…. But no matter what.. your friends can't wait to see you again.. can't imagine how happy everyone will be. "

Erza noticed Gray's smile. It was a warm smile. But something odd about it. There was something behind it. She took note…

* * *

It was sunny and hot as usual. The half naked man had his eyes closed and was enjoying the warm rays hitting his skin. He was seated in a beach chair that Virgo brought. That celestial spirit was sure handy. He had his arms above him and folded so that his hands were under his head. He could hear everything that was happening.

Wendy, Laxus, Lily, and Lucy were training a little away from where he was, which was camp. It was Laxus' day to train them but their training wasn't so much per se training… in order for Lucy to ease back into using her magic and feeling comfortable fighting again.. they had started to play games.

Hide and go seek but with magic. Wendy, Lucy, and Lily were having a blast with this game. Laxus would be it since they could never catch him. The two girls and exceed would hide within a marked area of the island and if they were spotted, they could use magic to fend Laxus off for 10 minutes. If still not caught by the end of the 10 minutes, they could hide again… if they got caught they would have the penalty of wearing a ridiculous outfit for the rest of that day provided by the generous and imaginative Virgo herself. But of course there was a catch for Laxus too. If one of the three managed to remove one of the 3 bells from his back, which were sewed on by Lucy herself, then Laxus would endure the penalty.

There were many other games, like partner races around the island or mazes that either Laxus or Gajeel would make for the rest to complete. But hide and go seek seemed to work the best.

"Kyaaa!" Gajeel with his eyes still closed smiled. Wendy down.

A few minutes later, "Noooooooo!"

"Gihi.. Lily down. Wonder what he's going to wear today. Now one more to go."

He knew Lucy wouldn't win. She had lost every match before and boy… were the punishments fun.

Lily with a dress on. Wendy with a bubble suit. Lucy, much to the men's enjoyment, a bunny suit. There were many more but the day of the bunny suit. Truly they teased her like there was no tomorrow. She had gotten so riled up about it that she took the games more seriously, using her skills and smarts to try and win. It was getting hard to catch the three now though. They started to team up and the two girls hadn't trained for nothing. So many close calls…

"WHHHATTT?!" a voice resonated through the forest.

Gajeel opened his eyes wide. "No.. no way… " He jumped onto his feet and ran towards the game grounds.

Laxus stood there stunned facing a very happy Lucy. She was standing with a leg out and a hand to her hip. The other hand was holding a string with a bell attached at the end in front of her. She had an evil smirk on her face.

Gajeel arrived and saw Laxus' back. One bell was missing and Lucy was standing there holding it.

'HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA YOU LOST TO BUNNYGIRL!" Gajeel was reeling on the floor.

Laxus was still in shock. "How…. How did.. ?"

A bright light appeared and two floating celestial spirits appeared. "Gemi!" "Mini!" They said.

His eyes went wide "No….."

They radiated bright light and fused to form… LUCY! The double Lucy blew a kiss to Laxus and said "Laxus-chan~!"

The real Lucy was shocked "EEEHHHHH! CHAN?! GEMINI!"

Double Lucy giggled. Laxus looked away and began to cough... Wendy and Lily ran up and saw Lucy holding the bell.

"Lucy-san! You did it!" Wendy ran up and jumped hugged Lucy. She hugged back.

"Good job Lucy" Lily said with a thumb up.

"You can go back now Gemini" Lucy said smiling.

"Bye for now! Let's play again!" They said as they vanished.

"And now… ehehehe…" Lucy looked and smiled at Laxus mischievously.

He looked at the Lucy. A sweat dropped from his temples. This would not bode well for Laxus.


	16. Giggle Giggle Giggle

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* * *

They had finished eating dinner. Lucy was having a hard time trying to stop giggling. Laxus, Wendy, and Lily were all going to receive punishments that day. And Lucy had requested a special costume for them. Wendy was a fairy and she looked very cute. Wendy really liked it herself. Lily was wearing a puss and boots costume and it fit him well. Laxus… was wearing a one-piece white and pink bunny jump suit. He looked absolutely adorable and miserable.

"Geez bunnygirl. I haven't seen you giggle so much in my life."

"Shut up gihigglybutt. And I am not bunnygirl. He's bunnyboy though" as she pointed at Laxus.

"GIHIGGLY WHAT?!" Gajeel snapped back at Lucy giving her a glare.

"OIY! Blondie!" Laxus snapped back also and giving her a glare.

"You heard me right. Gi-hig-gly-BUTT! You're always gihi this gihi that. And you have a nickname for me so I made one for you." She said smiling mischievously.

She had gotten bolder with the dragon slayers now. She knew they would never do anything to harm her. Sure they would tease. But they had been cautious ever since that night.

"And you." She said while looking at Laxus. "You are bunnyboy today. And I am going to enjoy it.. savor it.. as much as I can" She said smiling, rubbing it in as much as she could. She beat Laxus for goodness sakes!

Oh did her teasing and mischievous side really rile them up. Not in a bad way.. but it made them look forward to the future where she would lose and they would request the most embarrassing outfits for her yet. They were really enjoying this side to Lucy. She was playful and… it was just plain raw Lucy. She was being her whole self with them.

He smirked a very mischievous smile towards Lucy.. "Just you wait till it's my turn again. You got lucky this time."

"Gihi. You better prepare yourself for tomorrow bunnygirl. I'm not going to go easy on you anymore."

"SEE! Gihigglybutt!" Lucy, Wendy, Carla, Laxus, and even Lily were all cracking up.

Gajeel turned a glare at his exceed. Lily just put a paw to his mouth and giggled softly to himself.

* * *

They were in their respective tents now, winding down to sleep. Virgo had brought larger tents for them so that they could have more space. In the boy's tent, they kept their three mattresses parallel to each other. Lily in the middle. In the girl's tent however, Lucy had specially requested if Aries could create padding for the entire ground of the tent. The wool acted as a soft mattress for them and they slept in heavenly bliss.

The boys were still up, lying in their beds with eyes wide open. They were listening in to the other tent.

Giggle giggle giggle. "Shhhhhhhh" giggle giggle giggle "Shhhhh". Giggle giggle giggle giggle giggle giggle giggle giggle giggle…

The three boys sat up simultaneously and looked in the direction of the girls. What were they doing?! They were sooo.. giggly! What were they laughing at!

The three looked at each other, giving each other a nod. They slowly got up not to get caught by Wendy who had super hearing. They crept up to the entrance of their tent and carefully peeked inside with one eye each.

To their shock the girls were sitting across from each other, exceed in Wendy's lap covering her mouth giggling. Actually all the girls were all covering their mouths giggling. Lucy moved her hands to put her index finger to her lip " ….. "

Sitting next to both the girls was GAJEEL! He was using his fingers to make weird faces. Pinching his eyes, making his mouth wide, stretching his ears, puffing out his cheeks.. and a dreaded cute pose with a peace sign.

Gajeel was shocked. There in the tent was another him! What was his other him doing!? …..GEMINI!

The other Gajeel then transformed into LAXUS! And the new Laxus did the same thing! Making weird faces and poses. The girls were giggling so hard yet quietly to not get caught. They rolled onto their sides and were grabbing their stomachs. Tears were in their eyes.

The real Laxus was turning tomato. These girls were laughing at them!

The other Laxus turned into… LILY!

The real lily paled. This wasn't going to be good.

The new Lily walked up to Carla and reached for her hand.. got down on a knee.. and kissed Carla's hand. Carla blushed.

Lily really lost oxygen flow to his head now. He fainted… this was not happening…

Laxus and Gajeel stood up. They looked at each other. They needed to get back at the girls now.. it couldn't wait till morning..

They couldn't do anything to rash.. Wendy was still a kid.. and Lucy was still adjusting back to being happy again. What to do with those girls…

Laxus smirked. Gajeel raised an eyebrow. Laxus lifted his hands in front of him, showing his fingers rolling in the air… Gajeel got the hint. He smirked too with closed eyes. It was perfect.

With one hand each, Gajeel and Laxus opened the flaps to the tent. Bent over so the girls could see their faces and smiled oh so very mischievously. Lucy Wendy and Carla.. their eyes went wide in horror and froze in their tracks. The imposter Lily jumped a little and vanished away.

Gajeel and Laxus jumped on the girls. Gajeel was tickling both Carla and Wendy. Laxus was ticking Lucy. Outside, Lily could hear both laughing and screaming in the tent. He got up and slowly peeked inside.. His mouth agape at the sight. Lucy was hugging Laxus around his neck, laughing hysterically as he tickled her.. not noticing where Laxus was forced to put his head.. they were rolling around back and forth on the pink soft cloud. Wendy and Carla were screaming and running in circles around Lucy and Laxus as Gajeel was chasing the with a huge toothy and fingers outstretched in front of him, as if to tickle them too. It was some kind of pink giggle wonderland.

Woah.

Lily wasn't going to let them get their revenge alone. He smirked and jumped onto Wendy, causing her to fall down and giving Gajeel the chance to catch her. From afar, you could still hear their giggles and laughter loud and clear.

* * *

After a couple of hours, it became silent. They had all exhausted themselves out and fallen asleep. Lucy was hugging Lily while Wendy was hugging Carla. The two girls were in the middle while the men slept on the outside. Wendy was using Gajeel's arm as a pillow and Lucy was using Laxus' arm. The four were huddled close to each other.

Virgo appeared quietly and placed a large blanket over them. She smiled at them and left as quietly as she came.

* * *

She was there again.. in the cave.. a dark faced Natsu was holding her. but he wasn't warm.. no rather he was very cold. He drops her and lunges away. A shadow obstructs her view. red eyes...

Laxus had woken up by something squirming next to him. Lily was awake too and had sat up. He put his paws on Lucy's stomach, shaking her to try and get her to wake up. Her eyes were closed and she was hyperventilating again. Laxus lifted his torso up quickly and leaned on the arm providing as a pillow to Lucy. He used his other hand to secure her face so that she was facing him. He thought over what Gajeel confessed a while ago... he had kissed her to make her stop.. of course Loke threw a fit after finding out.. He looked at Wendy and Carla.. good they were sleeping... he looked at Gajeel.. Gajeel was looking straight at him.

They looked at each other.. what were they supposed to do... they didn't want to wake up Wendy to see one of them kiss her... but Laxus.. kiss Lucy? Laxus was getting flustered. He looked at Lucy... he had to do something fast.

Laxus looked back at Gajeel, gave him a "screw it" look, Gajeel's face in shock as he realized Laxus was about to...

He planted a good one on her lips. He had closed his eyes. It was dead silent. When he finally pulled away, he noticed it worked. She slowed her breathing. Lucy opened her eyes sluggishly and saw in the dark... Laxus' face above her. She thought she must be dreaming again, replacing her nightmare with a dreamy one. She just turned her head towards Wendy, still using his arm as a pillow. She groped around for Lily and found him. Brought him close to her chest again, not realizing that Lily was awake and in total shock. She nuzzles her head to get comfortable and fell back asleep. Laxus and Gajeel looked at her in utter unbelief. She had to be the most heaviest vulnerable sleeper in the world. She hadn't even noticed the kiss.

Laxus slunk back onto his back. Lying next to her. His mind was blank.. heart racing... He kept his eyes wide open. How could he sleep after that. He just kissed her. It happened so fast he couldn't remember the kiss. He knew it happened but couldn't remember what she felt like. How could he not remember the kiss he planted on her! Stupid stupid stupid! he thought to himself. Then he thought of the witnesses.. Lily and Gajeel shocked with wide eyes.. A warmth grew in his chest. ehehe. Gajeel had no choice but to see the whole thing. It happened right in front of him. Now, they were even on the scoreboard or so he thought.

Gajeel lay wide awake as well. He was on his back now. He just witnessed Laxus kiss Lucy. When he meant he had kissed her to snap her back to reality, he didn't mean a real kiss and that lightning freak had taken it literally. And now Gajeel was very... uncomfortable... a feeling crept up onto him.. jealousy? no... he couldn't be right?...that dang lightning head of a man had stepped up the game... tomorrow was his day to train.. and he was determined to take full advantage of Laxus' absence.

Gihi...It's on!


	17. The Return Journey Part 1

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**I give you... 2 CHAPTERS! The Return Journey! ENJOY! **

* * *

When she woke up, she noticed that it was very warm. She was so comfortable and… someone was hugging her? She blinked and looked around the tent. Carla was sleeping happily in her arms and there was a heavy arm around her.. She turned to face… Gajeel was sleeping quietly and he was lying on his side facing her.

Wendy giggled. Gajeel was like a big brother to her and this wasn't the first time she's slept with Gajeel in a tent. In fact, they had gone training before Lucy's incident. It was the first time Wendy had slept so close to him however. But she knew, he would do no harm to her. They were fellow dragonslayers and they understood each other. He might be tough and scary looking but he was just as much a goofball and a kid inside. He even cried when he finally got Lily as an exceed.

She looked towards Lucy and to her surprise, Laxus was hugging Lucy from behind. They were both asleep and she couldn't help but think they looked good together.. even though he was so much bigger than her. Lily was sleeping facing Carla and in Lucy's arms.

Wendy was so happy. As they trained on the island, Lucy and Wendy had gotten really close and Wendy became Lucy's adopted sister. She was so happy that Lucy didn't die.. And when Gajeel Laxus and Lily arrived, they helped Lucy transition back to being herself .. helping her patiently deal with her inner demons and fears.. slowly.. Lucy was coming back. They always included Wendy too. They did activities like a family would. Eat play sleep. Wendy wished it would never end.. but she also missed everyone back at the guild. She wondered how they were doing..

* * *

Mavis was watching from the second floor. Things were back to normal now. Natsu Happy Erza and Gray had just been discussing together about reforming their team. They missed each other and it helped that each wanted to see how much they've all gotten stronger.

Master Makarov walked up next to Mavis and jumped up onto the railing.

"Third Master"

"Yes First Master?"

"I think its time."

"Hm… yes.. they've been gone long enough. I would like to have them back before the exams begin."

"Yes indeed. They've gotten stronger."

"Let's proceed inside. Fourth!"

Master Macao looked up from the first floor. He had been drinking next to Wakaba. His smiling face quickly transitioned to that of a serious stern one. He got up abruptly and walked upstairs. The three entered the master's office.

A certain dragon slayer had heard their conversation from above. He had felt the masters gazing upon him and his friends. He thought.. "Why are they so serious? And who are they talking about?" He was looking up at the Master's door.

Gray watched Natsu as his attention was on the Masters who retreated into the office. "Oiy flametard. Are you even listening?"

"Yo ice stripper you wanna start something?" he quickly snapped back.

Erza's dark aura soothed from her as she sat on the side next to both Gray and Natsu. They quickly shut their mouths. But something was bothering Natsu.

"Hey Erza… Gray… did Master send some people away on something?"

"What do you mean Natsu?" Erza asked.

"Just.. Master Makarov and Mavis were talking about.. calling some people back.. before the exams start?"

Gray's eyes went slightly wide. His heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself "could it be?" He gulped and tried his best to hide his anxiety and excitement.

Erza noticed Gray's surprise. She raised an eyebrow. "Gray, do you know anything about it?"

"No, I don't know who Master would have sent off. Maybe the raijinshu?" He quickly saved himself.

"Maybe.. they do do a lot of errands for the Master on behalf of Laxus" Erza said. She still suspected Gray of hiding something.

"Well I will see you guys later. I have errands to do myself. " Gray got up.

"What errands?" Erza asked. Natsu was still in deep thought. He was thinking for once. But it wasn't everyday that the three Masters looked so serious and talked about bringing people back. He just hoped they were strong so he could fight them.

"Jeez Erza, I have a life of my own too you know. Later~" Gray gave a small flick of his hand as a wave and walked towards the back of the guild. He gave a glance at Romeo who had listened to the whole conversation. Romeo was following Gray with his eyes and understood. There was a smile on his face. Gray chuckled and went out the back door.

* * *

Laxus was enjoying his day off, the sunlight felt so nice. He was sitting down on the reclined beach chair. He could hear Lucy cursing under her breath. He chuckled. Gajeel was sure hunting her down good.

Lucy was running through the island and she knew the shadowed figure was running close after her. A while ago, Gajeel had noticed that Lucy had her panic attacks when he went to his shadow dragonslayer mode and with Lucy's permission, they started playing games with him being in that mode. It was hard at first, she would panic the minute he would enter it but now, she was adjusting to it. Fighting the trauma. It wasn't easy for Gajeel either.. he didn't like seeing the raw fear in her eyes. But if it was to help her move on, he would gladly help out.

She was slowing down and she knew she needed to think of a strategy. For some reason, Gajeel was determined to catch only her and ignore Wendy and Lily. If he was going to play like that, then she had no choice. She was starting to feel weird vibes from him and she had her suspicions that Gajeel… that him out of all people.. was attracted to her. And all she could do was feel guilty.. It's been 4 months since they arrived. She had to end this now before it got any stickier. She suddenly stopped in her tracks. The shadow stopped as well a few feet away from her.. Lucy turned around to face the shadow.

"OPEN THE GATE OF THE TWINS! GEMINI!"

The shadow braced itself, ready to strike as it anticipated a strong opponent to appear. Gemini appeared and Lucy gave the two celestial spirits a nod. To his horror… a small blue haired girl… He was so surprised he exited from his shadow dragonslayer mode. How could he ever hurt her.. even if it wasn't the real Levy he would never.. Lucy was evil he thought… but then..

"Information retrieval complete." Levy spoke calmly as she stood before a surprised Gajeel.

"Levy McGarden. Solid Script Mage. Partners with Jet and Droy. Loves reading and is slightly competitive. Considered best friend of deceased Lucy Heartfilia"

Lucy was startled at this. Gajeel noticed. That's right she thought.. people still thought she was dead..

"Levy's opinion of Gajeel. Strong dragon slayer. Pretty handsome. Boyfriend-worthy. Has been forgiven of acts committed under Phantom Lord. Jerk for leaving her without saying anything.."

He didn't know what to say. He was completely frozen. Levy… thought he was boyfriend-worth? Him out of all people? He blushed at the thought of him and Levy together. His mind was racing. Although he had his suspicions, he always brushed it aside that the squirt had an interest in him. She was adorable and he wanted to be by her side whenever she was around.

"You see Gajeel" Lucy got his attention. "Levy has liked you for a while now. And I know you are helping me move on.. but I would be a terrible best friend if I kept you away from her. I'm sure she misses you terribly."

He just looked back at her. Not knowing what to say in this situation.

"Go home Gajeel." Lucy said as she turned around and ran away. He just watched her disappear.

* * *

Being on the island with 3 dragonslayers was good training for learning how to be stealthy. She took care to mask her scent and be as quiet as a mouse. She found her hiding spot. A waterfall. It was late afternoon and all the running made her really sweaty. She quickly stripped and entered the pool of the waterfall. It was a perfect temperature and the place was absolutely a paradise. She swam around and enjoyed the bath as much as she could. Her eyes got heavy and so she went up to beach on the shore of the pool, her body still immersed in the water. Lying on the beach, she looked up towards the clouds. Soon the slowly moving puffy clouds lulled her to sleep.

* * *

She barely made any sound as she walked up to the glowing pool and waterfall. She saw the blonde sleeping peacefully in the water, beached on the shallow end of the pool. Crouching down while smiling… "Lucy…."

Someone was calling her name. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw a night sky with bright stars twinkling above. It was beautiful. "Lucy…" Using her arms, she lifted herself up to sit and looked behind her to find a small girl wearing a white dress.. Mavis.

"Master Mavis" Lucy's eyes widened.

"Hi Lucy. It's time to go home." Mavis smiled.

* * *

Everyone was so quiet.. They ate their dinner in silence. Wendy was silent and barely ate any of her dinner. Carla was worried about her and kept asking her to eat more. Gajeel was really quiet too and Lily sensed that Gajeel was in a unusual deep thought. Lucy was finally found after hours of searching for her on the island. She was sure good at hiding now. But when they found her, they were amazed to see Master Mavis with her as well. For now, Lucy just ate her dinner in silence. Laxus just watched the three depressed mutes and wondered what had happened to them to be this way. Mavis was just sitting happily.

Wendy suddenly got up, thanked them for dinner, and went to bed. Lucy noticed that Wendy had suddenly changed after Mavis had come to inform them that a boat would be arriving tomorrow morning to take them to Hardeon Port.

Gajeel got up as well and headed to bed as well. The day's events were taking a toll on him. He had woken up with a determination to make Lucy wear something scandalous for the day. He was sure to catch her and possibly "accidently" kiss her. But then Levy appeared… and her thoughts of him.. and the ultimate friendzone ever by Lucy.. and she told him to go home….. so much for trying to win her. But he couldn't help but feel warm… Levy had liked him.. he always dismissed her… she was too.. good.. to innocent.. and Lucy.. well she had been through a lot.. she was naïve.. and slightly naughty.. and she forgave him just like Levy.. He needed a lot of sorting out to do…

Mavis yawned and Lucy gladly led Mavis to their tent. Lily had followed Gajeel and Carla had followed Wendy. Only Laxus and Lucy remained at the campfire. She was in such deep thought and Laxus just observed her. She looked up at him.

"Laxus… I need a favor."

"Hm?"

"Can I borrow you for a second?"

He looked annoyed. What was the blondie up to now

"Come on. You just need to stand next to me."

"Okay….

Lucy stood up and she walked up to Laxus. Laxus stood up and watched her every move. She breathed in deeply and let out a long breath of air. She was standing next to Laxus and she reached for her keys.

"Open the Gate of the Twins. Gemini"

Gemini appeared in front of them and Lucy stood still. She was tense. What was she up to.

"I'm.. ready"

Gemi and mini nodded. A bright flash of light. Then.. there was.. a man…. Black open toed sandals… white trousers… gold trimmed black waistcoat….. white scarf…

His eyes grew wide. He quickly broke his gaze upon the new figure and protectively watched the girl next to him.. She stood still.. tense.. silent.. "so that's why…" he thought.

"Lucy…." Said the familiar voice.

Surprisingly.. she remained calm. She was still tense….. but she could handle it. Laxus observed her and smiled at her strength. She was going to fight it and it was evident in her stance.. standing tall.. not pulling away.. not panicking..

"Okay Gemini. Thank you. You may go now" Lucy said in her normal voice. Gemini transformed back into the two celestial spirits and said "Bye Lucy!"

She let out a breath… she had unconsciously been holding her breath in effort to keep herself calm…

"You did good. I'm proud of you Lucy"

Lucy shot her eyes to Laxus. He was smiling. She smiled back. She was proud of herself too. He gently put his arms around her and brought her to his chest. With her in his arms… "It's okay to be scared. You don't have to force yourself. We'll be right next to you if you need us."

She was smiling. He was so sweet at times. She pulled her arms around his waist. She hugged him back and said "I know."


	18. The Return Journey Part 2

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**Special shout out to fluffyshaddow who was my 100 fav :) And because I am thankful for all the people who take the time to comment...**

* * *

They were almost back. Master Mavis had gone ahead to inform Master Makarov of their arrival and the group was walking slowly on the road towards Magnolia. Wendy was lagging behind a little and Laxus being the only stable minded person at the point finally spoke up.

"Alright Wendy. Spill it" As he turned around abruptly and faced the small girl

Wendy was startled and was nervous. She began poking her fingers together. Gajeel and Lucy turned around too. All eyes were on Wendy now.

"Come on. You've been like this since yesterday. Tell me before I tickle you and make you tell me" Laxus said with a finger pointed at her now.

Tears started to well up and that got everyone's full attention. "Nooo… Aww im sorry im sorry! Don't do that! Don't cry. I'm sorry!" Laxus tried cajoling her

Her lips were quivering and her fists were clenched. "Will.. you guys still hang out with me after we get back?" She said with a choked soft voice.

Everyone was shocked. What

"What do you mean Wendy? Of course we'll see you around. We'll see you at the guild all the time." Gajeel

"I… just… I really.. like you all.. and these past few months… you guys were the closest things I had to a real.. siblings….I had a lot of fun…"

She looked up from Gajeel to Laxus now

"and… and.. I never really talked to you before these few months.. and… if you don't want to.. talk to me… its okay..

Laxus swooped Wendy up so that she was now being carried on his back. And began to walk while carrying her. She was dumbfounded.. her eyes in shock..

"Crybaby Wendy.. you were always a sister to us. And if you want to hang out with me, I'll make sure to take time to spend time with you. Even if it's just us.

"Jeez Wendy. You know me and Lily will always take you on for a training session. We dragon slayers gotta stick together right? Gotta find our dragons" He said with a grin

"Wendy. You are always going to be my little sister so don't you worry. I wouldn't be standing here without you.

They all smiled at her. Lily with an approving nod as he was flying above

Carla flew next to Wendy "Silly girl. I told you there was nothing to worry about."

Wendy finally smiled tears rolling down her face. "Thank you…"

* * *

They walked on.. Wendy still being carried on Laxus' back. She had her arms around Laxus' neck and rested her head on his shoulder. Having been unable to get a good nights rest she fell asleep. Lucy could only smile at the view. Laxus sure was good with kids. She chuckled.

They were on the other side of Magnolia's canal from Lucy's apartment. She stood silently as she looked at it.. smiling.. it has been ages.. then she realized.

"OMMGG MY RENT!"

"Now you realize? Geez bunnygirl.. sometimes you're so.."

"Shut it gihigglybutt. I've been…."

"save it. Don't want to hear it. Oh and I forgot to tell you. Your rents been covered."

"Huh?!"

"What do you mean it's covered? Who would pay for it?"

"Gihi… I did"

"WHHHATTTTTT?!" Laxus, Carla, Lily, and Lucy yelled.

Wendy woke up from their sudden outburst and began to rub her eyes.

"Oh sorry Wendy. Go back to sleep." Laxus pushed her head back down onto his shoulder. She tried to sleep again.

"What do you mean you paid for it?" Lily asked with 'a are you crazy look'.

"I did. And now you bunnygirl" he said pointing to her "You owe me."

Her face paled… Gajeel was no easy man. She knew from her punishments back on the island. This was not good.

"Thanks…. I'll pay you back as soon as I get some money" Lucy said unconfidently. She was still unsure that she could take on missions again. Not so soon after they had come back…

"Oh.. I don't want money.. Gihi… I intend for you to pay me back in other respects."

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest and backed away. "Gajeel…. I am not going to lend you my body."

Laxus stepped in front of Lucy "You ain't touching her" He had a death glare.

"Relax bunnyboy. I'm not going to touch her. She's gonna dance for me."

"WHAT!? NO IM NOT!" Lucy protested behind Laxus.

Laxus' face got red. Lucy dancing…? For? What? No no don't think like that!

"She's going to dance for my performances. I'll be singing shoo bee doo bop and she is going to perform for all of my performances for the next year. Gihi.. as my bunnygirl!" He had an evil smirk on his face.

Laxus cheeks turned pink. Lucy's bunny suit. And then he paled.. Gajeel's singing.. Lily just looked shocked with his mouth agape. That was what he was planning?!

Lucy was in anguish.

Then at that moment. Gajeel heard… Laxus heard.. Wendy opened her eyes.. she had heard too… the three were still..

* * *

"Hey Natsu! Don't be like that. Shopping is fun!"

"No it isn't….. it's TORTURE!"

She chuckled as she couldn't help but think Natsu looked very cute. They had gone shopping in Magnolia's shopping district and were walking on the opposite side of the water canal, in the opposite direction as Lucy's group. Natsu and Lisanna hadn't noticed them yet.

Lisanna stepped in front of Natsu and gazed into his eyes. Natsu was taken back by her extreme closeness to his face. He looked away in irritation.

"Hmph. You just like torturing me. That's why you asked me to help."

"No Natsu" she giggled "I asked you… because… I like you."

Natsu froze at this. He looked back into her eyes. They were wide and sparkling…?

"I've actually liked you for a while now.. and I was hoping you liked me too."

"Of course I like you Lisanna. You're my friend"

"Well… I guess like is not the right word.." Lisanna blushed as she looked to his shoulder.. "I.. I love you Natsu… I have been.. for a while…Do you love me?"

Natsu just stood there. He didn't know what to do. He had his mouth open as if to say something but couldn't move. What happened next… he would never have been prepared for..

Lisanna cupped Natsu's face gently… and pressed her lips on his.

* * *

The moment Gajeel heard his voice he perked up. "Crap… this is not good" he said out loud. Wendy lifted up her head and looked at Laxus. They heard too. Laxus slowly let Wendy down and the three looked across the water canal and saw….. Lisanna and Natsu…

Lucy heard Gajeel's comment. "What's not good?" She said after she regained her composure. Wendy quickly went around Laxus and held Lucy's hand.

"Nothing! Let's hurry and go back to the guild now" She said with a smile.

The whole time… the three dragon slayers could hear Lisanna and Natsu's conversation. And now… Lisanna was confessing…

Laxus and Gajeel looked at the two across the water.. they couldn't believe the timing of this situation.. this was bad…. REALLY BAD..

Lucy walked up forward with Wendy's hand in her hand.. and noticed something catch her eye across the water… Wendy was still short enough so that Lucy could see over her head… she turned her head..

Her whole being froze. In the midst of Gajeel and Laxus realizing Lucy had moved forward with Wendy and now was in the line of sight to see what was going on… the two men hustled up to block Lucy's sight. But the little gap they had between their bodies… Gajeel in front, Laxus in behind him.. Lucy saw…

Nastu and Lisanna kissing.

* * *

Lisanna took her lips off of Natsu's and looked into his eyes. He just looked back with surprised eyes. He didn't know.. how to handle this..

A scent. He snapped back to reality. He looked at Lisanna fully composed… but was preoccupied.. this smell.. this scent.. it was so familiar.. he turned his head towards the opposite side of the water canal… and saw Gajeel and Laxus… and a small girl with two exceeds on the ground looking at something behind Laxus..

Lisanna was hurt by his sudden change of attention to something across the water. She angrily turned to see what he had been looking at instead and found the three dragon slayers and two exceeds on the other side. She blushed hard at the thought of them having been caught kissing..

Natsu yelled out "GAJEEELL! WENDY! LAXUS! WHERE HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN?!

* * *

Lucy heard his voice… heart thumping hard.. chest in stabbing pain… she clenched her chest with her right hand… her bracelets were on…

Gajeel Laxus.. Wendy… Lily.. Carla… all eyes were on Lucy.. ignoring Natsu.. worry in their eyes.. they had just been caught by Natsu and Lisanna now.. no escaping it… but Lucy.. she was in shock and pain.. her breathing was getting heavy now and why was she clenching her chest..

Lucy had been keeping her eyes shut… but now.. she knew… she heard a voice… soft and strong from her bracelets…. she looked up at Wendy.. shifted gaze to Carla… Lily… Gajeel…. Laxus...

He looked at her with worried eyes. He wanted to take a step forward and hold her.. but.. for some reason something was holding him back…

"Sorry guys…" Lucy said with a fake smile as she faced him.

Before they could understand what she meant…

"Let two worlds collide… two spaces… two paces… King of the starry realm… and I ruler of the stars… ally to light… the infinity rings"

Lucy's bracelets lit up for the first time and she was lit up like a light. She opened her eyes and saw her surroundings. They were ghostly yet glowing. She could see her friends looking at her.. but they were moving really slow. Laxus moving an arm towards her in a snail like pace. She knew now. The infinity rings slowed down time, borrowing a small amount of the stellar kings magic, a version of his slowing magic that stopped time. She bolted down the road.. not knowing where to go.. not stopping for anything.

"Wait! Pleasee!-" Laxus yelled as he saw. She lit up with bright light just like her celestial spirits and the light flew down the road. Laxus transformed into lightning to follow after the light. Gajeel quickly turned into the dark shadow mode and followed after too.

"No! Lucy!" Wendy yelled and quickly covered her mouth in horror. Wendy watched them go… but what she had done… She slowly turned her head… Dread filled her..

* * *

He saw a bright light go down the road from where Laxus was. Then lightning flashed away following the light and also a dark shadowy Gajeel, that awfully looked a lot like Rogue's magic power. Then heard something that stopped his heart..

"No! Lucy!"…..

He looked at Wendy now. No…...Wendy slowly met his gaze.. she… was scared and covering her mouth… Lucy? He turned his gaze back in the direction Laxus and Gajeel had run off to…

"LUCY...…!"


	19. Release

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**enjoy! **

* * *

Run… run…. run…..

a voice inside…

"why?"

"what do you mean why?"

"why are you running?"

"because…."

"Unless you still like him. And you are running away from him?"

"No! I don't…"

"Then why should you run away…"

"…"

"Why should YOU run away. What is he to you now?"

"…."

"What is _He _to your life right now"

"He's… "

"You sure you don't have feelings for him?"

"He's... a friend"

"Oh?"

"he was the one who brought me to Fairy Tail… he always saved me before… and Lisanna can have him if she wants… I don't…"

"then why are you still running…."

* * *

Lucy snapped back to reality. She had been running aimlessly and had been unconsciously dodging both Laxus and Gajeel…. She stopped running and the light from her bracelets began to fade.

Standing still.. eyes closed.. she took a deep breath… the image of Lisanna inching forward to Natsu… she clenched her fists.

She heard a crack of lightning and sensed two powerful auras from behind her. The two dragon slayers stood a few feet away from her… they were taken back by her sudden stop.. She lifted her hand to her keys on her waist…

Turning around to face them, she opened her eyes.

Laxus took a step forward. "Lucy…I'm… sorry you had to see that.. but running away won't solve anything"

Gajeel took a step forward as well "come on bunnygirl… don't go hiding in a hole again…"

She looked at them and smiled her signature smile… "Help me…."

Their eyes widened. "What.. do you need help with?" Laxus said calmly. This was definitely weird for Lucy. In all her previous breakdowns and panic attacks, she never acted like this before.

"I can't think straight.. and I'm not…. per se stable right now."

The two men didn't know what she was trying to get at.

"I.. need a release…"

"Release?" Their eyebrows rose. "What kind of release?" Gajeel asked.

Tick toc tick toc.. Their face went pink.

Lucy having figured out what they were thinking. "NOT THAT KIND OF RELEASE!" She was getting irritated now.

"Well what do you mean then! Geez bunnygirl we can't read your mind!" Gajeel yelled back.

She looked at them with determined eyes. "Fight me"

Okay now they were definitely shocked out of their shoes. Lucy had just challenged them both to a fight. She never ever wanted to fight before, hence the 'games' on the island as a means for her to transition to battling again.

"Unless you guys are too chicken…" she said with an eyebrow raised..

"Oh you're on blondie. You don't know what you are starting." Laxus smirked back clenching his fists.

"Gihi. Well well now look who has finally come out to play." Gajeel cracked his knuckes.

The two were really excited now. Finally they could see how strong she was. They had finally broken through her last wall.

"We ain't gonna go easy on you now." Gajeel said.

"That should be my speech to you both." Lucy got into a battle ready stance.

BOOM! CRACK! WHOOSH!

* * *

The guild doors slammed open. Everyone in the guild looked at the doors. There stood someone they hadn't seen for a long time.

"LOKE!" Gray was the first to meet him. He hadn't been expecting him to arrive.. he was hoping it would be Lucy.

Everyone yelled out to the celestial spirit. They were all surprised and happy to see him.

"Where's master?" He asked.

"I'm here." Master Makarov said as he stood on the bar counter.

Loke ignored everyone's questions and greetings. He walked up to the master and had a serious face.

"Master. We need to activate Gildarts Shift now."

"Hmm? And why is that?" Master Makarov raised an eyebrow.

"Laxus and Gajeel are going to fight her right now." He said with urgency.

Master Makarov's face suddenly showed surprise and then he went into heavy thought. Master Mavis jumped onto the counter from the second floor.

"Ooooohh?! She's going to fight?!" She said with wide eyes.

"Yes. Anytime now."

"MIRA!" Master Makarov said.

"Yes master, I'm right here." Mira said behind the bar, next to the two guild masters.

"Activate Gildart's shift now."

"Yes Master." Mira quickly went to the second floor to activate the shift.

"What's going on Loke? Why Gildart's shift? Gildarts is here." Gray asked.

"Yea Loke. I'm right here you know?" Gildarts said lazily while making a small wave with his hand. He was seated at the bar but on the very last bar stool.

"You all can go out and see for yourselves." Loke said while smiling and gently pushing his glasses up with two fingers. He then disappeared.

Rumbling was heard and now the ground was shaking. The shift had now begun.

Master jumped off the bar counter and started heading towards the door. He was smiling now. His dear child had come home. Mavis walked up beside Makarov and so did Macao and Gildarts.

"This should be interesting third, fourth, and fifth." Mavis said smiling.

"Yes… interesting indeed." Macao added.

"Hm..? Am I the only one out of the loop?" Gildarts added.

"You will soon see Gildarts. One of our own has finally returned…"

The four masters walked out of the guild together. Everyone in the guild watched them go and hurried after them. They didn't want to miss the reason why Gildart's shift was activated… other than for Gildarts himself.

* * *

"Lucy…..!"

Natsu was frozen on his feet. Lisanna was startled to see Natsu's face go pale like he saw a ghost. "Natsu…? Are you okay? Hey? Natsu?"

"Carla… let's go. We have to go find her now."

"Okay Wendy. Let's go Lily."

Carla and Lily spread their wings. Carla grabbed onto Wendy and the three flew towards Lucy's direction.

He went completely numb. He yelled at himself… "Movee! Moooveee! ! ## ! MMOOVVEE BODDY MOOOVEEEE!"

He dropped the shopping bags he was carrying and started running towards the direction everyone had gone. Leaving Lisanna standing there alone…

Fire began to engulf his body and he was gaining speed. He was a blazing fireball running through the streets now. He could smell her scent… he could smell her scent! She was definitely here. As he was running, a sudden announcement was made town wide, Gildart's shift was being activated. The ground starting shaking and he stopped running. The whole town was shaking and shifting…

He thought to himself "What? Why is Gildart's shift activated? I thought Gildarts was already at the guild. Is he leaving?"

A powerful pulses of magic aura was coming from ahead. Someone was fighting. No… Powerful people were fighting ahead. "Oh no.. LUCY!"

* * *

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"

"Unison Raid!" "SANDBUSTER!" "RAMPAGE!" Fleuve d'étoiles!

"Iron Dragon's Roar!"

"Unison Raid!" "REGULUS BLAST!" "WOOL BOMB!" "SPICA LOCK!"

Huge explosions could be heard in the street below the town. Lucy had locked Laxus by wrapping her Fleuve d'étoiles around him. The celestial whip's water properties weren't something to ignore. If he attacked with lightning, he would be shocked as well. But he wasn't staying still. He was jumping and dodging attacks from Scorpio and Taurus. Lucy tried hard not be pulled around with him.

Loke, Aries, and Virgo fought Gajeel and they were fighting every along the street as well. Jumping off of the walls, dodging.. attacking..

But their opponents did not stay the same. All Lucy's spirits were taking turns fighting Gajeel and Laxus, whoever was closer they attacked in perfect unision. Lucy was doing her best to fight both dragon slayers as well. Training on unison raids with Wendy sure did help out.

Each hit an explosion, gust of winds rolling down the trenched street.

Everyone at the guild was outside now. The four masters were at the forefront, in a line. They were amazed at the powerful explosions and auras coming from the battle happening before their eyes. It was expected of Gajeel and Laxus…..but Lucy… Lucy was there, in front of their eyes. Breathing and alive. She was alive!

Gray walked up next to Gildarts and was speechless. How much Lucy had grown. She was alive and kicking! A smile went on his face. He was so happy… and excited! She was strong. He couldn't wait to challenge her himself.

Erza also walked up beside Gray. Tears were streaming down her face. Was it really Lucy.. her dear Lucy.. and did she really become that strong? She was so proud.. So happy… and she wanted to bash the two dragon slayers brains out for fighting with her right now.

Juvia was crying. She was happy that Lucy was alive.. but now.. SHE HAD TWO LOVE RIVALS! How would she ever get Gray-sama to love her… and because she started to cry… It began to rain..

Levy had begun to cry too. She could see Lucy… her best friend was alive.. and Gajeel.. he had brought her back.. she was so happy… so thankful…

Lucy looked up at the gray clouds. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the raindrops falling onto her face. It felt so nice. She smiled.


	20. You Already Did

**Please leave me a review~! It helps me write faster :) And urges me to think of new ways to surprise you all!**

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

He finally made it to the edge of the street.. he looked down.. and was wide-eyed.. panting…

There she was.. standing with her eyes closed.. smiling as she looked up towards the sky. Her hair was down now and wet. She had gotten slimmer and her muscles were visibly more toned. Her top and skirt were getting soaked and they began to stick to her body. She looked…. Stunning.

A gust of wind and BOOOM! BOOM! Natsu snapped out of his stare of Lucy as Lucy turned her gaze towards the two dragon slayers. Her spirits jumped from their positions back to stand beside the celestial mage. The two dragon slayers were panting but were clearly enjoying the fight. Huge grins were on their face as they looked upon Lucy. Natsu couldn't help but feel excited as well. He really wanted to join in and fight. Lucy was so strong now.

As much as he wanted to fight her.. all he wanted to do was go jump down.. run to her.. and hug her.. have her in his arms.. to make sure it wasn't a dream.. that she was REALLY here… He took a step out forward… but then..

"Sorry boys.. But I want to end this now." She lifted a hands out, holding several keys

"Oh so now you want to get serious." Laxus smirked, battle stance ready.

"You should know better than to toy with dragons bunnygirl." Gajeel smirked evilly, battle stance ready as well.

"Open the Gate of the Twins! Gemini! Open the Gate of the Horseman! Sagittarius! Open the Gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius! Open the Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer! And last but not least Open the Gate of the Goat! Capricorn!"

"Finally you brat! I thought you would never call me!" Aquarius said angrily.

"Let's play let's play!" Gemini chimed.

"I am here! Moshimoshi!"

"Do they need a haircut? Ebi-"

"At your service Lucy-sama"

All of her Zodiac celestial spirits stood beside her. Forming a wall between the dragon slayers and the Guild on the street. All of them with determined faces and a smirk, facing the dragon slayers in an attack ready position. Gemini had changed into another Lucy, so the two Lucy's stood shoulder-to-shoulder smirking at the two men.

10….9…

It was a sight for everyone. Everyone in the guild was amazed at how strong their celestial mage had become. The four masters were shocked as well. Wendy was on top of a building with the two exceeds smiling. She wanted to join… but it would have to be another day… Lucy had finally done it.

8….7….

Natsu just stood there trembling… excitement overflowing… she was unbelievably strong now! His grin apparent on his face and his teeth gritted together from the excitement.

6…5...

Her opponents in front of her… smiled at how much she's grown.. she never showed this side of her on the island and boy were they getting excited to resume fighting. Especially since a certain dragon slayer was on the sidelines watching the whole thing and they could sense his excitement to join in as well. Like they would ever share Lucy with him right now.

4…3…

"Gihi…" Gajeel smirked and entered his Shadow Dragon Slayer mode.

Laxus had an evil smile as well and entered Dragon Force.

2…

They all jumped towards each other…. Except Lucy.. she stood where she was.

1….

In the air, the celestial spirits began to shine a bright light and disappeared. The two dragon slayers hit through bright lights and were now flying towards a defenseless Lucy. She was smiling.

"I CAN'T STOP MYSELF!" Gajeel thought midair.

"NO! LUCY!" Laxus thought as he couldn't stop either.

A bright light came from Lucy's bracelets and BOOOMMM! Everyone looked in horror. When the dust had finally settled, there was a crater where Lucy had been standing..

The two dragon slayers exited their dragon modes and frantically eyed around them as then stood up quickly inside the crater. They spotted her sitting a few feet away… leaning on her hands…she had a few scratches here and there.. but she was fine. She was panting for air…

They began to run towards her and so did the rest of the guild..

"Sorry… I ran out of energy… I guess I can only keep them all out for 10 seconds.. haha…" Lucy said as she tried to stand up. She was laughing…

Laxus and Gajeel reached her first. Gajeel helped her get up. They were so relieved that she was okay… and she could laugh after her first fight.

"Jeez Bunnygirl. You can fight. Now you can spar with me and Lily all the time."

"Nope. No thank you. If anything, you should spar with Wendy. She's stronger than me. Isn't that right Wendy?"

Wendy and Carla had flown over and stood with the three. She smiled at them.

"No..no.. I'm not strong enough. You did really well Lucy-san!"

"Ho… I know Lucy can fight now.. but Wendy.. you've been holding back too now?" Laxus raised an eyebrow and smiled. Wendy blushed.

Laxus looked up at the figure on top of the wall. The pink haired man was just watching very intently. Smile on his face from the excitement of the fight. His gaze never left Lucy.

Laxus looked back at Lucy. This all happened because of that kiss she saw. She wasn't supposed to see that and she sure did need a release. He put an arm around her shoulder and brought her close. She looked up at his face, smile and all. The battle had really helped to put her mind off of things and she had enjoyed the rush.

Her smile… the morning of when she was watching the sunset… the smile she would get when she was swimming in the hot springs to relax… the smile she had when the rain was gently pouring onto her face…. He wanted that smile to never go away.

She was smiling at him now. He knew Natsu was watching them…

Laxus inched closer… and kissed her gently yet with meaning on her forehead. She was still smiling and her eyes had closed. He stood up straight and saw that she had closed her eyes and was still smiling. He had wondered how she would react but to his surprise, she did nothing.

Gajeel Wendy and the two exceeds watched the exchange. Gajeel just smirked. "At least its not flamebreath who gets her…" He thought. He turned around and looked for the little girl who had been hiding her feelings from him. Still a little heartbroken from being friendzoned.. he knew that he was at least a close friend to her.. Lucy... that's more than he could ask for…

Wendy just smiled happily at the two. She was very worried for Lucy after she ran off… seeing such a sight… but now.. she didn't worry anymore… she could see it now… Laxus seemed to value Lucy… a lot more than she thought originally. Wendy turned around to face the guild members running towards them. She blushed hoping that Romeo was running towards her…

Lucy opened her eyes and gazed into those blue/gray eyes. Then next to Laxus' head, she could see a pink haired man far off on the top of the wall. He was watching her. Her smile slightly faltered and Laxus noticed her sudden change of gaze and face.

Lucky for Lucy, Erza had arrived and called out her name. She broke her eyes from Natsu and looked at all the guild members before her. She smiled and tears threatened to fall.

"Lucy…." Erza said as she approached cautiously.

"Hi Erza…" Lucy smiled. Laxus took his arm from his shoulder and smirked as he walked towards the masters.

Erza abruptly hugged Lucy by surprise. She was crying and buried her face in Lucy's hair. "I… I'm sorry…. "

"Erza… what are you sorry for? I'm here now. I've missed you so much." Lucy said smiling, tears falling onto Erza's shoulder. She held onto Erza tightly.

"I've missed you too Lucy…Thank you for coming back….."

Erza finally eased their hug and they both smiled at each other. Gray walked up and Erza let Lucy go.

"Yo Lucy" Gray said with a smile.

Lucy ran into Gray and gave him a warm hug. "Hi Gray… I'm sorry for making you guys wait so long."

"Yea dummy… What was up with that…" He said hugging her tightly. His arms were around her and he clenched onto her arms. He wasn't stupid… he saw Laxus kiss Lucy… Laxus was definitely acting with a motive…

"Don't you ever do that again… Don't ever leave me like that again…"

"Ok… Gray… stop crying… I won't okay? You're supposed to smile for me"

Gray released his hug and had his arms gently grabbing onto her arms.. He looked at Lucy. He hadn't noticed that he was crying until she mentioned it. Tears were dropping from his chin. He smiled warmly.

"That's the Gray I remember" Lucy said smiling.

"Lucy…." Said a timid voice. Lucy turned her head and found her best friend standing next to her. And the iron dragon slayer standing behind her. He looked away smiling. Gray let Lucy go and the two girls ran into a hug.

"LUCY I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! WHERE WERE YOU? YOU'RE TERRIBLE FOR MAKING ME WAIT SO LONG!"

"I'M SORRY LEVY… IM SORRY… I MISSED YOU TOO.. I REALLY DID"

They cried for a bit and put their foreheads together. They laughed a little from happiness and finally let go.

"My child.." Master Makarov spoke finally walking up with the rest of the masters.

"Master…"

"Welcome home" He said with a smile. Everyone had a smile except a certain man and woman.

"I am… I really am home.." she said with a smile and tears streaming.

* * *

Everyone hugged her with tears. Everyone was happy. Well.. almost everyone. They had started walking back to the guild after a while. It had started to pour and everyone was getting drenched. The guild doors opened wide and people started entering in.

Lucy was in the back and…

"Lucy.." Lucy turned around and met the white haired girl.

Lucy smiled "Hi Lisanna."

"I'm glad you're back. Everyone's missed you." Lisanna said smiling.

Gajeel, Laxus, and Wendy were watching them from the inside of the guild. Gajeel and Laxus were getting protective. Wendy could tell as they tensed up and eyes narrowed. Wendy was ready as well. She didn't like the situation at all either. She gave Carla a look and Carla understood. They would be ready to swoop Lucy away if needed be.

Then Lucy did the unthinkable.. She hugged Lisanna.

.

Lisanna was in shock. Everyone became silent and watched the two. They knew Lisanna and Lucy both cared about Natsu and in Lucy's absence, Lisanna had gotten really close to Natsu again.

"Thank you Lisanna. I know I don't know you very well but I'm really glad to see you. I'm glad to be back. I hope we can get to know each other better and be good friends."

Lisanna softened. She hugged Lucy back. "Me too."

Lucy let go of Lisanna and both girls smiled at each other. Lisanna walked inside the guild and the three dragon slayers were just shocked at their interaction. Everyone started bustling again. They were going to party for the return of their dragon slayers and Lucy. It was loud in the guild and everyone was happy.

Lucy watched from the entrance. It was so good to be back… she smiled full-heartedly. She was back…

.

"Luce…"

.

Her smile quickly vanished. Her eyes were wide… Mostly everyone in the guild was so excited to party that they hadn't noticed that finally.. Natsu had arrived. The dragon slayers noticed fully…

Lucy eyed Wendy… then Gajeel… then Laxus… and they stared back… with serious faces… the two males were definitely ready to pounce…. Levy had noticed Gajeel's tenseness and found that he was watching Lucy… with Natsu standing behind her.. Levy began to stare as well…

Lisanna wasn't ignorant of it either.. she watched closely from the bar.

Lucy slowly turned around and faced Natsu. He quickly grabbed her wrist and brought her into his arms. He buried his face in her hair and hugged her tightly.

A loud thunderstrike was heard. Wendy eyed Laxus. He was not happy. His face was dark and he was glaring at the two. She guessed the thunder was from Laxus. Gajeel wasn't doing so hot either. She was a dragon slayer and she could definitely tell he was tensing up again. But to her surprise, she smelt another possessive male in the room. She looked around and found it was… Gray? He had his fists clenched and was staring them down too… This was not good…

He was warm… but not like how she remembered.. She felt heat radiating from his body... but it just wasn't the same anymore… she gazed out into the raining street. It was pouring and ripples were seen on the wet ground. Flashes of lightning and thunder was heard.

"Luce….Is it really you…."

"…"

"Please…. Say something…."

.

.

"…. Natsu…"

.

His eyes shot open and Lucy's voice... she was definitely here. His face was still buried in her hair so no one could see his face.

.

"I've missed you Luce… I've missed you so much…. I.. thought you were gone.. I.."

"Silly Natsu. I'm not gone. I'm right here. I am strong remember? I've survived a countless number of times where I should have died and you saved me so many times before. But I can handle myself. And..." she smiled with her eyes closed.

Lucy lifted her hands to his waist and tried to push Natsu away a little but he just responded by holding her tighter.. She put her arms around him to a little hug. He was surprised and was so happy she was hugging him back. He buried his face into the groove of her neck now.

"No.. Luce..I'm never letting you..." but before he could finish his sentence…

.

.

"You already did."

.

.

Natsu lifted his head and his eyes widened… A shot of pain went through his chest. He couldn't breathe.

.

A boom of thunder…

.

Feelings in his arms disappeared… his whole body became numb and he slowly let go of Lucy. He just stood there arms limp to his sides… Lucy let go of Natsu. And stepped back from him to see his face. He was frozen.

She had a smile on her face. It was her smile... but... something was off...

"Come on Natsu. Let's join everyone. I've missed everyone and I feel like drinking today."

She turned around and walked away from him.

He just stood there.. in the doorway… numb.

.

.

.

The three eyed Lucy walking towards the bar. They were all holding their breath. They had heard... every single word... She was smiling.. She talked to Mira and got herself a drink. She and Cana had a toast and gulped down their shots. The looked at each other.. the two men had very dark faces.. and wendy just had eyes that gave away her fear and shock as to what they just saw... they finally looked to Natsu...

.

.

he hadn't moved at all.

* * *

**I know I know! I feel so EVIL.. Sorry Nalu lovers. I promise you they will talk again!**


	21. This Time

**Please leave me a review~! It helps me write faster :) And urges me to think of new ways to surprise you all!**

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Everyone was cheering them on. They all crowded around the table. The game was just about to begin..

Lucy was sitting across from Cana and Juvia was sitting across from Levy. Erza was sitting across from Evergreen. It was a circular table and so the girls were seated as such.

Lucy, Erza, Juvia, Cana, Evergreen, and Levy. Erza and Levy were seated next to each other naturally.

"Alright girls. I'll go over the rules so listen carefully" Mira said smiling. "There is a bottle in the middle of the table yes? I will spin it and whomever the bottle points to, they must drink. Their partner must drink as well."

"Partner?" Lucy asked.

"OH! Yes! You need to have a partner" She said smiling. Lucy thought to herself… "And there goes sneaky matchmaking Mira again."

"The partners have an option of having just one person drink both drinks or they can share the punishment. The ones who last drank will be allowed to spin the bottle again. It will continue until there is one partner left. I suggest you girls to find partners!"

"Alright! Let's hurry so we can play!" Cana said smiling with a fist pump into the air.

"I don't know about this Lu-chan… Cana is playing and so we'll definitely lose.."

"Oh its just for fun Levy. And plus Cana is already drunk so we have a slight advantage. You have nothing to worry about anyways. Give me a second" Lucy said as she got up from her seat.

She walked up to Gajeel who was seated away from the crowd in a corner of the guild. Lily was eating a kiwi and was very happy. Gajeel noticed her walking over and eyed her curiously. Was she going to ask him to be her partner? He had been listening to what was going on but stayed put. They all watched Lucy and Gajeel intently. She leaned in to Gajeel's shoulder and spoke softly so that no one could hear what she said. "

She's really cute and fun when she's drunk."

Gajeels face went red and he sat up straight. She stood up straight and Gajeel stood up abruptly and awkwardly as well. Levy watched with wide eyes. Had Lucy.. no… Lucy wouldn't..

Lucy smiled as she walked over back to the table and Gajeel was silently in tow. He was grumbling now but as he saw Levy watching him come closer… he just blushed and looked away. He came to the table and stood behind Levy.

"Yo shrimp."

"Ga…Gajeel" Levy blushed as she looked up at him. He had his hands on her shoulder.

"I'll make sure you are the last one standing"

"O..ok" Levy said growing even pinker. She looked to Lucy who sat next to her and Lucy was looking back. She mouthed "thank you"

Lucy smiled back happily.

Juvia pleaded to Gray to be her partner and he reluctantly agreed. He kind of wanted to be Lucy's partner but Juvia had asked him first. He sighed and stood behind a very lovestruck Juvia.

Elfman had taken his place behind Evergreen, who began to blush. He had taken his place the minute Mira had asked the girls to find partners. He proclaimed that he was a Man and would make sure that Evergreen won the game.

Cana wobbled over to the Raijinshu table and slammed her hand on the table. She looked directly into the eyes of Laxus as she bent over.

"Hey Laxus, wanna be my partner?"

"No."

"Come on Laxus. You are the only one who can sort of keep up with me. It'll be fun! The girls are going to get soooo drunk!"

Laxus eyed the table. Gajeel was standing behind… Levy.. not Lucy… had she gotten a partner? He stood up and walked began to walk over to the table. Cana smiled widely and grabbed onto Laxus' arm. She dragged him over to her seat and he was forced to stand behind her. He was now directly on the opposite side of the table.. from Lucy.. who was smiling wide back at him. He didn't like this set up at all.

Something was off with Lucy. She was too happy. She was smiling too much. Laxus looked at Gajeel and Gajeel had reciprocated. Gajeel had noticed too and kept eyeing Lucy carefully. Gray wasn't stupid either. He noticed the two dragonslayers shifting eyes and glancing at Lucy.

"Okay. I guess I should go find a partner as well." Erza said as she stood up. All the men in the guild shuttered at the thought of being her partner. Drunk Erza.. was not a fun person.

She walked around the guild, looking at the possible candidates and found Natsu seated at a table with Happy. Happy was trying to talk to Natsu but he just sat silently. Erza walked up, grabbed him up by the collar and scarf and dragged him over to the table. He was plopped to stand behind Erza and she sat down.

He didn't complain. Didn't say a word. He had just been manhandled by Erza and he did nothing about it. Everyone was just shocked. Had Natsu been tamed?

At least now he had a reason to be closer to Lucy.. he didn't know what to do.. what to say.. he was lost..

"Natsu…. Natsu?"

Natsu snapped out of his thoughts "Yea?"

"You're going to be my partner and you drink when the bottle points to us. Got it?"

"Yea."

He looked up finally and saw everyone at the table and their respective partners. He looked towards his left and Lucy was seated there smiling. She was smiling but she couldn't fool him… she had no one standing behind her and he really wanted to be her partner.. but he had no right…

"Lucy. Now you are the only one who needs a partner." Mira said smiling.

"I've had one from the beginning." Lucy said happily. A bright light began to shine behind her and Loke appeared.

"Lucy my love, I would love to be your partner."

"Glad you could join me Loke" Lucy said.

"I shall not let you down. You will be the last one standing my princess."

Loke looked around the table. He gave a smirk to Gajeel, Laxus, and Gray.. rubbing in that he partnered with Lucy and they did not. The three men just glared back. He didn't look at Natsu who was standing next to him.

"Alright let's begin!" Mira said as she spun the bottle.

It spun and spun.

Whenever it would land on Evergreen and Elfman, Elfman would drink on behalf of both of them.. causing all the girls to give "AWWWs" and the pair would blush.

Whenever it landed on Juvia and Gray, Gray would drink on behalf of them as well. Equally receiving AWWWs and Juvia's lovesickness to strengthen.

Gajeel and Levy would share. Levy wanted to drink to help out and Gajeel would never say no to her. He wanted to see how much she would change and boy did she change. Laughing loudly and being so happy. He just grinned at her being an adorable drunk.

Natsu and Erza would share as well. Erza would never back down from a challenge and she would never let herself to have her partner take a punishment on behalf of her. She got very pink and Natsu drank his portions in silence. He wouldn't look at Lucy, but all his senses were attentive to her every move.

Whenever it would land on Cana and Laxus, Cana would drink both shots leaving Laxus to wonder why she ever even needed a partner. He could have partnered with Lucy and he just grumbled.

But to everyone's amazement, Lucy drank all her portions and Loke's. Despite Loke's protests, Lucy would quickly drink both hers and Loke's before he even got a chance to get them into his hands. She was very pink and her words were getting slurred. She was smiling the whole and kept asking Loke to pet her head.

In the end, Elfman and Evergreen dropped out first. Then Juvia and Gray because Juvia turned to water as Gray kept stripping because he was getting hot. Gajeel and Levy dropped out next as Levy was a lightweight and she began to cling onto Gajeel's neck. Lucy and Loke dropped out next after Lucy had gotten herself completely drunk. Erza and Natsu dropped out after Erza began to terrorize the men in the guild for "making faces" at her when they hadn't at all. Cana won and a sober Laxus just huffed and walked away. It was a pointless game.

Laxus looked around the guild for a certain someone.. some people were passed out here and there…but mostly everyone had gone home… and then.. he found her.. alone.. she was seated at a table while leaning against the wall. She had droopy eyes and had a bottle in her hand… "She's still drinking? What is that girl thinking!" Laxus thought angrily.

"Laxus~" Mira called.

Laxus turned around and faced Mira. "Can you please take Cana home? You know where she lives."

Laxus was turning back to watch Lucy again "Mira can you find someone else I.." but she was gone.

"Come on Laxus. Do me this favor." Mira pleaded.

Not seeing Lucy in sight and Mira was begging so…. "Okay. Fine."

He walked over to Cana and plopped her over his shoulders. He wondered where Lucy had gone… he shook his head… Loke would never let anything happen to her. She was safe. He would bug Lucy about today's events tomorrow. She needed space.

* * *

It was a terrible situation. She was being carried bridal style away from the guild now… by someone she didn't want herself to be carried by…It had been a while since her last.. but she couldn't stop herself… she was intoxicated and emotionally compromised by the days events… how could she stop herself…

The darkness closed in. he was carrying her… he let go… red eyes… pain… Natsu and Lisanna….. their kiss…..

"Luce…! Luuuuccee! LLLUCCYYY!"

She was shaking horribly now… and hyperventilating…. Natsu had quickly carried her away once Laxus had been distracted and had headed towards her apartment. In the process, Lucy began to have heavy breaths and now she was having trouble breathing. Her whole body was shaking and her eyes were tightly closed. Her fists were clenched and were turning white.

He ran faster and finally arrived at her apartment. He had used the front door this time since he wanted to be on her good side now. Any points he could get… he would take them.

He gently put her on the sofa and crouched next to her. He tried to calm her down.

"Luce… Luce.. open your eyes. please… open your eyes and talk to me… are you hurting?.. tell me what's going on… tell me what to do…."

Seeing that she wasn't getting any better… he quickly sat on the couch himself and gently put her in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and began to warm her. Her head was in the groove of his neck now.

Tears were coming down his cheeks now.. he hugged tighter…

"I'm sorry… i'm…. sorry…. I'm sorry….i'm so sorry Luce…."

* * *

In the darkness…. She could hear someone crying… "I'm sorry….i'm so sorry Luce…."…

Luce… that name… It's been a while… The cold was subsiding… what is this warmth….

Her breathing slowed down…. Her shaking became less intense… she slowly released her clenched fists… opened her eyes…. and began to panic once again when she found that she was in the arms... of the very man who was her nightmare…

She squirmed and tried to pry herself away from him but he tightly gripped onto her and kept saying something…like a broken record…

""I'm sorry… I'm…. sorry…. I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm…. sorry…. I'm sorry…"

Lucy froze… She let it sink in what he was saying… he was apologizing.. but his voice… and his face… his face was utter fear.. guilt... anguish… She hadn't realized.. that Natsu was hurting from it too…. He had overwhelming guilt... that he left her.. to die… that he caused her death…

"N..nnattsuu…"

Nastu froze. He kept holding Lucy tight to his chest. Tears still streaming down his face.

"Natsu…"

Nastu slowly turned his face to Lucy's. She was crying too.

He couldn't take it anymore. There was so many things he had to say. So many things he wanted to tell her.

"I'm sorry Lucy…. I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to…. I wasn't thinking.. I didn't know what I was doing…. I heard Gray shout your name… And I thought I was going to die… I went back… and you weren't there… but… your blood…. I smelled so much of your blood…. I didn't mean to….I'm sorry.. I'm sorry…"

He was gritting his teeth now and tears streamed down harder.. and he held onto her… he let his head drop and now his hair was covering his eyes…

She watched the broken Natsu in front of her…. She had never seen him so broken hearted in her life… her heart and her head was hurting… she was heartbroken too… hot unending tears streamed down her face…

She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder… they both cried loud and hard. Hugging each other tightly.

.

.

Nothing could change the fact that Natsu chose Lisanna… that he rescued Lisanna despite already having Lucy in his arms… that Natsu and Lisanna kissed…

.

.

.

.

.

This will be the last time… my one last time…to hold you Natsu…. And then I'll give you a proper goodbye….

.

.

.

This time…. I'll let go.


	22. Shocking

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**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail**

* * *

She was listening to her clock.. tick…tock….tick….tock…

He was sleeping in her arms. Lucy was lying on her back and Natsu was sleeping next to her on the couch, with half his torso on top of her. His head was rising up and down with her breaths as he laid his head on her chest. She was weaving her fingers through his pink hair. It was soft. She could hear his breathing and felt the heat of his body.

The alcohol had not completely gone through her system yet… she was tired from the battle and the heavy crying session….but she refused to fall asleep… she knew better… she would be a lady….. her mother taught her to be better...

She would never steal another's man.

Slowly.. she reached for her keys dangling at her waist. And she spoke in a whisper…

"Gate of the clock. Horologium"

The clock bowed and remained silent. Lucy smiled.

"Horologium… Can you take Natsu home… without waking him up? Make sure he gets home safely."

"Yes Master Lucy."

"Thank you."

Lucy gently pushed herself up and also pushed Natsu up to a sitting position. She, with the help of the clock, gently put Natsu inside Horologium… and closed the door… She put a hand on the glass… and smiled…

.

"I… won't come after you Natsu… I… don't have the luxury to anymore…. I don't think my heart can handle it anymore… So I won't fight for you… I… can't…." She cried once again…

.

She finally stood up. Wiped away her tears. She walked over to the front door and Horologium followed. She opened the door and her spirit walked out into the still raining night… She watched the spirit leave and walk out of sight…

Closing the door slowly…. The lock clicked… no more….. no more tears…

She walked back into her bedroom… stripped down and took a quick not shower…. When she got out.. she checked to see if Horologium had returned to the celestial world and he had…

Still flushed from drinking so much… she lied down on her bed at last… she made sure to lock her windows… and sluggishly entered her blankets….

The bed was cold… and she was shivering…. It was dark… she could hear the soft rain drops hitting her window… and the ticking of her clock…. Exhaustion overwhelmed her and she fell asleep….

* * *

It was loud in the guild… like old times… everyone was in a better mood now that finally Lucy and the dragon slayers had returned…

Natsu had barged in sometime in the morning in hopes to find Lucy… but when he found that she hadn't entered the guild yet... had waited patiently to see her show up..

Gray had entered sometime after with a clinging Juvia on his arms… turns out that he had taken her to his place since she was so drunk that he couldn't get her into the fairy hills. Of course Juvia… was ecstatic about spending the night with Gray…

To release some of his frustrations about drunk Juvia and her constant clinginess… he punched Natsu for laughing at his state with Juva latched onto his arms… of course this caused a massive brawl.. and everyone was having a good time…

Sometime during the brawl.. an annoyed Laxus came into the guild with a hungover Cana walking beside him… Cana had lost her keys to her home last night and had spent the night at Laxus', much to his annoyance and frustration..

An already annoyed Laxus coming into the guild with Natsu and Gray causing havoc in the guild was not a good combination.. and Laxus soon joined to teach the boys a lesson…

Gajeel and Levy entered as Laxus was not being attacked by Natsu, while Gray was attacking Natsu, and Elfman join in to fight Gray for his punch earlier, and many other guild members were fighting as well from a chain reaction of punches…

Levy was blushing… finding it hard to look at anyone but the ground.. Gajeel was blushing as well but when he saw the brawl.. he was upset that they had started without them and quickly joined in to fight. Levy just shook her head and walked up to the bar where Mira was drying mugs.

A full on brawl… Just like old times… and so no one wanted to stop it… even Master Makarov and Master Mavis just smiled and watched from the second floor…

And then someone had to push Erza's cake to the floor. And the great Titania joined into the fight to stop it immediately.

.

It was well past the afternoon and Lucy had still not shown up…

When Wendy had returned to Fairy Hills that night… she forgot that she hadn't paid rent for the 3 months while she was gone on Tenrou Island… She really needed to go on a mission and she patiently waited for Lucy to show up at the guild to ask her to go on a mission together…

She sighed… and Romeo came to sit with her.

"Hey Wendy.. What's wrong?"

"Oh.. Hi Romeo… I want to go on a mission with Lucy-san… but she hasn't shown up all day… I forgot about my rent at Fairy Hills and I really need to go…"

"How about I go with you?"

"You want to go with me?"

"Yea sure. It'll be fun."

"Just… you and me?"

"Hehe.. yea.. unless you don't want to?"

"Oh no.. that's not it…"

silence.. both were blushing..

"uh…. Okay. Let's do it." Wendy said blushing and smiling.

"Oh.. okay.. let's go check the mission board" Romeo said smiling with a pink face.

.

Gajeel smirked from across the room. He had watched the two little love birds and heard their conversation. Wendy was growing up and Romeo had seemed to miss her while she was gone.

He looked around the guild… for a certain blonde girl... he had to thank her for the tip.. turns out that Levy had missed him a lot when he was gone… and the alcohol helped her confess her feelings towards him… also making her more outgoing and pushy… they shared their first kiss in the morning, when she was sober.. he knew better than to take advantage of intoxicated Levy.. he had made the right choice..

He instead found a very anxious looking Natsu.. sitting at a table watching the guild doors as if they were going to open any minute.. Happy had finally come back from the Exceed village and was eating a fish next to him.. he was watching the guild doors intently too….

It was well past afternoon.. and Lucy still hadn't shown up.. it was definitely odd… she had been acting odd since yesterday… but Gajeel shrugged it off himself… bunnygirl was no longer his responsibility… He had Levy now and he was going to stick by her…

.

Laxus had been sitting at the raijinshu table quietly while closing his eyes. He was leaning against the wall with his sound pod on his ears. Despite his not caring appearance… he was actually trying to smell if Lucy was coming or not.. but for hours as he sat there since he arrived… Lucy had not come… Now he was getting angry… where in the world was she..

He got up abruptly.. interrupting Freed's conversation with Bixlow and Evergreen. He walked out the guild doors and Gajeel sensed him leave without looking at him… He knew where Laxus was going…

.

"Tch… took you long enough"

"What did you say Gajeel?" Levy asked as she looked up from her book.

"Nothing shrimp. Keep reading that book of yours. I'll be right here"

Levy blushed and put a hand on Gajeel's arm. He looked at her and saw her smiling. He took his other hand and put it over hers and looked away. She read her book using her right hand to flip the pages… her left hand safely with Gajeel.

* * *

Laxus arrived at her apartment.. and tried to open her door…. It was bolted… he tried lightning jumping to look into her bedroom through the window… he saw covers half off the bed and saw… a hand on the floor… his eyes went wide…

He ran up the stairs to her apartment door again.. and rammed it open.. he ran into her bedroom.. and found an unconscious Lucy on the floor next to her bed.. half covered in her blankets and arm stretched out on the floor… her hair was covering her face…

He quickly went to her side and gently put a hand on her arm.. "Lucy…"

She didn't stir… she didn't move… but her arm… she was burning… he gently lifted her up with one arm and pushed aside her hair… her face was flushed and she was sweating..

Lucy had a terrible fever.

Panic. He quickly lifted her bridal style and turned into lightning…..

He arrived at a house in the woods.. he kicked the door open… rushed up to the bedroom… he gently put her down on the bed and went to get cold water in a basin with towels.. lots and lots of it.

When he came back.. he set them on the bed next to her.. quickly without thinking he began to unbutton her pajama top.. luckily.. she was wearing pajama shorts and so he wouldn't have to take those off.. making sure not to look… he quickly placed a towel to cover her chest..

He removed her top and put wet cold towels on her stomach, the back of her neck, her forehead, and the back of her knees. It didn't matter if the bed sheets got wet.. he was too worried about Lucy to care..

Where was Loke.. why wasn't he taking care of her… Laxus was so frustrated… if he hadn't gone to check on Lucy…. She would probably have been left on that floor for who knows how long….

He changed her towels frequently.. making sure that her fever was going down… Lucy still hadn't woken up.. and Laxus busied himself by dabbing her body with a cold towel… her arms.. her shoulders… her neck… her stomach.. her very flat and toned stomach…

Laxus caught himself.. he was in his home.. with Lucy… who was practically half naked… he couldn't help but enjoy the sight…

It was another couple hours before Lucy's fever had gone down to an acceptable range… he was still gently dabbing her legs with a cold towel…

Her eyes sluggishly opened.. someone was gently dabbing her legs.. she looked down and found a very concerned looking Laxus… He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Lucy waking up… his furrowed eyebrows.. lips a little tense…

"Hey bunnyboy…"

Laxus shot his eyes up to see Lucy's eyes open.

"Yo blondie… seems like you're all better now… calling your savior names.. that's not a very grateful thing to do…"

"What do you mean?" Lucy looked around the room. It wasn't her room. She panicked and tried to sit up but a large hand gently pushed her chest down so she was lying on the bed again.

"Easy…. Lucy… you still need to rest some more."

"Where….. am I?" and then she noticed her outfit. She quickly covered her chest with her hands.

"KYAAA! LAXUS YOU PERVERT! UGHH…" Lucy grabbed her head with one hand. She had a major headache.

"CALM DOWN. You are in my house. And I had to take your top off. You were burning. I had to bring your fever down. And I promise I didn't look.. "

He gently put another cold towel on her forehead after taking her hand away from her head.

"Stay put. Just relax. I'm going to go make you some soup."

Laxus got up from the bed and walked out of the bedroom. Lucy was alone… and now she could finally observe the room better…

He had soft black pillows and a furry blanket. It was like the soft fur of his coat. She chuckled to herself... Laxus liked soft furry things... Most of the furniture in the room was black and yellow… not much of a surprise… A maroon red cabinet… and a small table next to the bed…

.

Her eyes widened… something glimmered on the table…

.

Bracelets… Cana's…. metal bracelets..

.

She put a hand over her head… covering her eyes.. and smiled…

.

"I should've known…"

.

There's a limit to how much.. a person can take… a limit to how much hurt a person can feel…. And Lucy's heart.. had already reached its capacity… she felt nothing. Her heart had numbed…frozen solid… and her smile was empty...

.

"How… unlucky can you get…. Lucy….."

.

She got up.. and found her top… she put it on and neatly folded the towels on top of the bedside table. She put the bracelets on top.

Standing up straight… in front of the open door of the bedroom.. Laxus in the kitchen heating up soup…. She mouthed the incantation as she rubbed one of her bracelets… a small light… a gently click of the front door… and she was gone.

.

.

His sensitive ears heard the click. He quickly dashed upstairs to the bedroom.

"Lucy…"

He didn't see her. He looked around and found the towels neatly folded on the table… with some metal bracelets on top of them….. he walked up to them and pick one up…

.

It took a moment to process… but once he did… he knew…. he sat on the edge of the bed… elbows on his knees… hands covering his face….

.

.

Great… just great…..


	23. Tip Me

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**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Happy had been spending time alone often. He was sitting in a tree watching the leaves wave back and forth with the wind…. it was quite rare to see him in such a pensive mood especially him… ever since he heard that Lucy came back… he wasn't himself… he had yet to meet Lucy… truth be told.. he really wanted to see Lucy… fly into her arms.. and remain safe in her arms… but he was scared…. And felt guilty… Lisanna had slowly taken her place by Natsu's side.. the three spent a lot of time together.. going on missions.. and Happy enjoyed it… but he was always reminded of Lucy… of the times him Lucy and Natsu would go on missions… or just have a spontaneous sleepover at Lucy's…

Lucy was always kind.. she always fed him and they playfully fought and joked with each other… it was only when Lucy was gone that he began to see how Lucy had affected their lives… her cooking.. her smarts… her caring heart…

Lisanna was kind as well… she was the one who helped raise Happy from an egg… and Happy knew her for a longer time… she was "mother"…

But he had really missed Lucy… tears came down his furry cheeks.. what if she hated him… because he was their "child"… her "child"… the girl who Natsu chose to save instead of her… What if Lucy didn't love him as much anymore….

Gritting his teeth… sorrow and guilt plagued him..

* * *

"Natsu.."

"Oh hey Lisanna!"

"Are you busy?"

"Nope. Not at the moment. What's up?"

"Uhm… about yesterday…."

"Lisanna.. I.."

"I just wanted you to know how I felt Natsu…"

"I'm sorry that I ran off like that. I shouldn't have left you there like that."

"It's okay. It's not everyday a friend comes back to the living." Lisanna smiled.

…

"Lisanna… I… don't know… if I love you.. or not… this kind of thing.. is a first for me… but I do care about you…"

"Natsu... how…about we take it slow?.. And do things to help you decide?"

"Oh… okay….like..what?"

Lisanna blushed… "uhm.. we could go out to eat together.. or go somewhere nice.. just the two of us"

"Oh okay. That should be easy. It'll be like normal. Just without Happy." Natsu smiled.

"Yea. You could think of it that way." Lisanna smiled.

"Okay. I don't see how it could be bad. Hopefully Happy doesn't get sad that we leave him out."

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Ok then. I'm free tomorrow night."

"Okay. Why don't we meet up here at 6pm and then we can go out."

"Okay! I'm going to help Mira now. See you later!" Lisanna smiled and got up.

"Later~"

.

.

He was sitting at the bar. He was drinking his ice water… his black hair was covering his eyes… and his head was bowed as he leaned on his elbows that were on the counter of the bar…

.

He thought.. "So… Lisanna and Natsu are a thing now… I bet Natsu's too clueless that he doesn't even know that he just agreed to a date…. Well its fair game now… I'll gladly take Lucy from you..."

.

He picked up his glass and gulped down all of his drink. "Thanks Mira~ See you tomorrow!" He got off his seat and walked towards the exit of the guild.

"Bye Gray~" Mira said smiling. She had just returned from the kitchen to bring out orders of food.

.

.

A man sat with his arms crossed. He was sitting in the corner of the guild and his eyes followed the ice mage leaving the guild. He had heard the whole conversation between Natsu and Lisanna and it left a bad taste in his mouth. As a fellow dragon slayer… he couldn't help but feel that this situation was just really distasteful… Natsu's rival was going to go steal… the girl Natsu _NEEDED…_ he had yet to fully understand it… and Gajeel personally would rather have Laxus have Lucy.. than Gray…because Gray has yet to realize that his perfect partner is Juvia… Out of them all, Laxus is the most respectable partner for Lucy… though he would have to admit… Lucy and Natsu got along best with each other…

"I've really gotten soft…. I can't believe I'm doing this… " Gajeel said softly to himself. He got up from his seat and put Lily on his shoulder.

"Where are we going?" Lily asked. They were outside of the guild, walking down the streets of Magnolia.

Gajeel stayed silent. He was serious and stern. "To Laxus"

"WHAT?! WHY?!"

* * *

She arrived home. It was sunset.. her apartment was lit up…. Orange and pink… She stood in the middle of her bedroom.. admiring the calm.. the quiet.. the pretty colors.. the sunset…

A bright light appeared next to her and Loke quickly grabbed Lucy into a hug…

… "Loke…"

"I'm sorry Lucy…. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner… I really wanted to bash his head for kidnapping you… I'm glad you are safe…"

"Loke, I'm fine. He helped bring my fever down."

"Wait.. what? You were sick?" Loke stepped back to look at Lucy's face, hands still holding onto her arms.

"Uhm… Who are you talking about?"

"Stupid Natsu of course.. who did you think I was talking about?"

"Laxus.."

.

tick tock tick tock

.

"WHAT?! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"Nothing nothing! Natsu brought me home last night to apologize. And Laxus took me to his place today after he found me with a fever I guess. Now the front door is broken… he had to break it…"

Lucy sighed…

"Lucy.. I'm so sorry… I wasn't here for you.. I should be the one taking care of you…"

"It's okay Loke. Why were you so busy?"

"Cause of you Princess. As leader of the Zodiac Spirits, I had to settle down the masses. You are the talk of all the celestial spirits." He smiled widely.

"Me? Why me?"

"Because you, Lucy Heartfilia, managed to successfully summon all your zodiac celestial spirits in a fight against two dragon slayers" His face clearly showed the pride he felt of his master.

Lucy blushed.. "It's not that big of a deal"

"Not that big of a deal? Lucy.. celestial mages have a hard time keeping out two celestial spirits for a long period of time.. you managed to not only keep out all ten of your zodiac celestial spirits, but you also had fought Laxus and Gajeel before you did that.. with five of them. You my beautiful princess.. are a force to be reckoned with" Loke smirked.

"Haha.. Well its all because of you, my friends… I would never have become this strong without you.." Lucy smiled wide.

Loke's chest warmed. Lucy… had indeed become stronger. He was keeping his promise.

"Oh Loke…"

"Yes my Love"

Lucy punched Loke's arm. "Ow…"

.

"Thanks for saving me…."

.

Loke's eyes went wide and a smile crept on his face.

.

"Anything for you Lucy"

.

"I'm sorry to ruin this touching moment.. but Lucy your front door is broken."

Lucy and Loke were surprised by the interruption. They both looked towards the door of her bedroom.. a half naked man leaned against the side of the door with his arms crossed. He was smirking.

"GRAY!"

"Gray. What are you doing here?" Loke asked

"I just came to check up on Lucy.. She didn't come by the guild at all today and I wanted to make sure she was okay" Gray walked to the couch and plopped himself onto it.. Laying playfully on his back with his hands behind his head.

"Oh.. Sorry about that… I hope I didn't worry everyone…" Lucy said guiltily.

"It's okay. They probably thought you needed a rest after that epic battle you had yesterday" Gray winked at her.

Lucy's eyes widened and her cheeks turned pink. She thought "EEEEHHH! Gray's being so…. Playful…. " She paled and started darting her eyes around her room. Turning around and making sure her window was locked.

"What are you doing Lucy?" Loke asked

"Hehe… nothing.. just checking for something" Lucy said, a sweat dropping from her temple.

Gray just looked at her with an amused look. He had a raised eyebrow.

At that moment… grummmmbblllleeeeee… Lucy paled… she turned ghostly…

"Looks like someone's hungry.. " Gray said as he got up into a sitting position. He was smirking at an embarrassed Lucy. Loke raised an eyebrow and smiled at Lucy as well.

Lucy was dying of embarrassment.. she had shot up her hands to her stomach.. to cover it as if to stop if from grumbling… but of course it did nothing… just perfect timing stomach.. right when it was dead silent…

"hehe.. I guess I'm hungry. Oh no.. I forgot to get food today… "

"If you didn't get food today.. what did you eat all day?"

Lucy smiled nervously.. "Hehehe….."

"Did you eat at all?! What did you do all day?! Eat air?!" Gray asked worried, he stood up now.

"It's… a long story… I pretty much slept all day."

Gray walked up to Lucy. He quickly grabbed her hand, causing Lucy to be surprised. She blushed.

"I'll feed her something good Loke. We'll see you later."

"Thanks Gray. Just call if you need anything Lucy." Loke said smiling as he vanished.

Holding her hand firmly yet gently, Gray led Lucy out of her apartment and into the street.

"Gray! I'm fine! I.."

"Come on Lucy. You're hungry and I am hungry too. I'll buy and next time you can cook for me. Sound good?"

"Oh…. Okay…" Lucy said as she was being dragged along the street. She just hoped that Juvia wasn't around to see her holding hands with Gray…

.

.

"JUVIA IS SO GOING TO KILL ME…"

.

.

* * *

He walked up to a decent looking house.. it smelled of the person he was looking for… and also… slightly… of someone else.. someone's scent he was surprised to smell… he knocked on the door.

The door opened after a few minutes and a very angry and annoyed Laxus opened the door.

"What do you want"

"Is Lucy here?"

Laxus' eyes widened and became annoyed. "Why would I know where she is and why would she be here?"

"Don't play stupid with me Laxus. I'm a dragon slayer too remember. I can smell Lucy all over you and in your place. Is she here?" Gajeel said in a serious tone. His eyes were stern and the level of seriousness coming from Gajeel was suspiciously unsettling.

"No she's not. When I left, I found her in her apartment knocked out on the floor. She had a really bad fever so I brought her here. But she left." Laxus looked away from Gajeel. Then he looked back at Gajeel pissed off. "Did you just come here to ask where she was?"

"No. I came here to give you a tip. Natsu is dating the shape shifter now."

Laxus raised an eyebrow. Both were silent. They knew… Lucy would not be okay… she had recklessly asked the two of them into a brawl… going completely out of character… who knows what she would do after she found out that Natsu is now dating,, and had possibly reciprocating feelings for Lisanna…

Laxus sighed and began to rub his temples with his fingers. He closed his eyes.. Lucy… was causing him to worry and be anxious… nervous… which he hadn't ever been in years….. she was stressful…

"Oh… and Gray… I'm pretty sure he's going after Lucy now." Gajeel crossed his arms and Lily did as well as he sat on Gajeel's shoulder.

"And so? What do you want me to do about it?" Laxus gave him an incredulous look.

"You're seriously gonna let Ice Stripper take her? Seriously?"

Laxus just clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He was giving death glare to some trees to the side of his house. He was…. Unhappy.

Gajeel turned around to leave. He took a few steps before stopping to turn his head sideways, glancing at Laxus at the corner of his eyes.

.

"I smelled the stripper close to her place. I bet he is with her now….. alone"

.

Gajeel faced forward again and began walking back towards the city. He picked up Lily from his shoulder and hugged him. He used one of his forearms to cover Lily's ears as best as he could.

.

BOOOOOMMMMMM!

.

"Gihi…." He smirked evilly. Perfect…


	24. Grabbing My Happiness

**Please leave me a review~! It helps me write faster :) And urges me to think of new ways to surprise you all!**

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Sorry I haven't uploaded in a couple days. Been busy. So here's an extra long one! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Stupid stupid stupid… why didn't I think of that…" Gray thought to himself.. he and Lucy stood in front of a restaurant.. unable to go in… because of his… lack of clothing…

For once, he really hated his stripping habit and wished that he hadn't offered to treat Lucy to dinner… his face paled… what a FAIL…

She was watching Gray's face.. she giggled. This caught Gray off guard and looked at Lucy with embarrassment. Lucy covered her mouth with her fingers and coughed a couple times, looking away.

"Gray… Would you like me to ask Virgo to get some clothes for you?"

Gray's eyes widened. The dinner wasn't totally ruined.

"Open the Gate of the Maiden. Virgo!"

"Hime. I have brought you clothes."

"Thanks Virgo." Lucy took the clothes from Virgo and gave them to Gray. He looked stunned… He had forgotten how resourceful Lucy was. It had been so long…

"Thanks Lucy, thanks Virgo. I'll be right back" Gray said quickly as he dashed around the corner to clothe himself.

"Thanks Virgo. I hope it's okay for you to keep providing celestial clothes to us."

"Anything for you Hime… "

Gray arrived, wearing a perfectly fitting jacket. They were blue with yellow rims. His pants were white and he wore a white flannel under his jacket, with a dark blue tie. He looked really good.

Lucy gaped at how handsome he looked.

"Haha. Like what you're seeing Lucy. You're speechless." Gray said smirking as he lifted his elbow, asking her to take his arm as they entered the restaurant.

"Does Hime not like? Is it punishment time?"

"No Virgo! Everything is fine. You are not going to get punished. Thank you, you can go now."

Virgo bowed and vanished.

"And Gray, I was just admiring the clothes you were wearing of course. They are celestial clothing." Lucy quickly answered.. trying to hide her blush from him.. He did look very handsome.. and to be polite, she grabbed onto the arm Gray lent out.

"Sure Lucy. Come on let's go."

* * *

A certain man and a flying exceed were now in walking distance. They had just turned around the corner and saw… Lucy moving closer to Gray.. to hold onto his arm.. Gray was smiling and talking to Lucy… Then both him and Lucy walked into the restaurant together..

He was confused.. what were Gray and Lucy doing here… she hadn't been to the guild all day.. and he had wanted to talk to her very urgently.. about the night before… when they were drunk… and how he had gotten home.. yet here she was chatting away with Gray… that stupid Gray.. what were they doing alone together… How did it come to this? And what was Gray wearing? So many questions… Natsu clenched his fists and gritted his teeth…

Happy saw Natsu's changed mood… but it left Happy confused too.. was Natsu jealous? Of Gray and Lucy being together… didn't Natsu like Lisanna? And if not… then what was he doing?.. Happy was getting a headache from all his thinking… getting tired, Happy landed on Natsu's head..

"Natsu…"

"Let's go home…."

…

"Natsuu…"

His bangs covered his eyes.. Anger was seeping from him. He turned around and walked away… in a direction different from his home… Happy just remained quiet and gave Natsu space.

* * *

BBOOOOOMMM. A heavy thud.

No one was in the room, except the man.. he sniffed around.. and sure enough… he smelled the ice mage's scent in the apartment… he stiffened and walked around, making sure that they weren't in the apartment… if they weren't in her apartment.. then she wouldn't be doing anything funny with Gray.. or at least he hoped… Lucy loved her bathtub and her own bed… she would never sleep over at Gray's.. not so soon right?…

He remembered how she was at his place earlier that day.. if that little mishap hadn't happened.. then Lucy probably would have slept over.. Laxus' face grew dark… was he too late? Had Gray taken her to his place?...

"Lucy.. you better come home soon… or we'll play that hide and seek game you love… and ill be sure not to hold back"

Finding himself more stressed than before, he sat down on her bed and leaned back to lie on her soft pink blanket… he was surprised.. it was really soft.. like a cloud…. After 10 minutes… he fell asleep.

* * *

They were walking back to the apartment now. She was so full and warm.. she ate a good meal thanks to Gray and he was happy too. Her fever was pretty much gone.. but now that she had eaten, she had more energy and color was returning back to her face..

"Gray…."

"Hm….."

"Do you like Juvia?"

Gray stopped walking and watched Lucy take a few steps before she turned around to face him.

"…."

"Do you like her?"

"Does it matter to you if I do?"

"It matters because I am your friend.. and hers.."

"Why are you asking this all of a sudden…"

"Gray… she loves you."

He stood stiffly…. Love…

"You have a beautiful woman… who is in love with you… who thinks the world of you… who would possibly even DIE for you…"

"Lucy….I…" Gray stopped. He thought of all the women in his life… Ur.. Ultear…

…Juvia…

"What I'm trying to say is… you could lose her any day anytime… she would gladly die for you… are you willing to ignore her devotion and love for you any longer? If a time came to pass… and you were in danger… Juvia would stop whatever she was doing… just to save you.. Do you know how hard it is to find that kind of love? What a blessing it is to receive it…"

She didn't look at his face. Still facing forward, the setting sun was lighting them golden. Even without looking at her face to face.. he knew.. he felt it… the hurt in Lucy's words.. the scar… left from that day… her heartbreak…

Then he thought of Juvia… she was always with him.. after Lucy's death… she was always there. To comfort him.. to keep him company.. to take care of him… no matter the mission.. no matter the cold blizzard climate of the mountain he trained on… she never complained… she just…

..Loved him….

"I hope you figure out your feelings for her soon Gray… before it's too late to do anything about it…"

Lucy faced him smiling. Her warm smile. She was always thinking about others… her friends… she had such a warm heart…. And that was one of the reasons why Gray liked Lucy… but now he could see… she would always be… a good friend… a sister.. to push him in the right direction.. It pained him that she would never see him as more… as a man… but he would be happy to be a good friends to her.. stupid Natsu didn't know what he could have had…

She walked up close to him and put her arms around his neck… this caused him to be surprised.. she whispered in her ear.. "now.. let's get that lady of yours out of the shadows…"

On cue… "LOVE-RIVAL! GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF GRAY-SAMA!"

Gray chuckled. He gave Lucy a warm hug back and they let go of each other.

Juvia was fuming and dark aura was seething out from her. She was facing Gray and Juvia on the street. Gray walked up to her slowly and Juvia started to calm down.

He grabbed her arm and brought her in for a hug. She was so shocked and starting blushing mad. Her eyes turned into hearts.

"Juvia, Lucy and I are just friends. How would you like to go eat some ice cream with me?"

"Gray…sama…" Juvia blushed.

After letting go of one another… Gray and Juvia looked towards where Lucy was standing.. but she was gone…

"Juvia must thank Love Rival later…" she thought smiling.

* * *

Walking aimlessly.. not wanting to go home just yet.. she thought over the events of the past couple days…. She was so tired…

The kiss… the fight… drunk Natsu… Laxus'… Gray… UGH…..

She looked up to find herself in front of the rainbow sakura tree… she smiled… it was the tree Natsu and Happy had uprooted and sent down the river in front of her apartment… it was a nice gesture.. kind of romantic… but she now guessed that it was meant to be nothing of the sort..

They were just friends.

Her eyes caught something blue at the base of the tree. She walked up to find…

Happy. The exceed was sleeping on Natsu's lap.. and Natsu… was staring off into space.. lost in thought.. This was a rare sight and he actually looked… a little gloomy…

Slowly and quietly… Lucy came up to Natsu and sat next to him.. it was only then that he sensed someone next to him and turned his gaze towards… Lucy.

He was shocked… how had she found him.. and where was Gray?... He stared at her.. and she just looked forward.. calmly and comfortably..

Here she was…. Finally.. they finally got time alone… at least first time alone sober… he wanted to soak her image into his brain.. wanted to hug her and not let her go…

Lucy had died twice to him.. and he desperately wanted to make sure… that she was really there.. in front of him… it was so hard… when future Lucy died during the GMG… he was traumatized by her death… although the present Lucy was still alive.. it didn't make it less real… and ever since the games.. he had nightmares from time to time.. about his nakama dying before him… especially Lucy and Lisanna since they were his two closest friends who had died…

That was why… he had the nightmare about Lisanna the night before the... that's why he was so emotionally compromised… and now he had to live with this overwhelming guilt… that he caused Lucy's death… the girl he promised to protect her future.. he had been the cause..

Natsu couldn't speak… he was in so much anguish… life without Igneel was hard enough… life without Lisanna was hard too…. But life without Lucy…

No more sleepovers.. or her wonderful cooking… her friendship.. her constant efforts to take care of Natsu and Happy.. her smile… her brightness… he never realized how big of a role she had in his life…

"Natsu stop staring. It isn't polite."

She still didn't look at him.

"Luce…. I…"

"Do you remember that time when Loke was dying.. He was disappearing and he felt guilty for having indirectly caused his previous master's death…"

Natsu didn't move. He listened to everything.. Lucy's words.. her breathing.. her heart…

"When I was saving Loke… I thought to myself…. If...if someone got hurt or died because of me, I think I'd suffer a lot like Loke…. But it's okay, because if we, Fairy Tail, all work together, we can overcome any trouble we might have…"

Natsu's eyes widened…

"Let's stop suffering… I think we've had enough… It's our choice to be happy.. and I'm going to grab my own happiness."

She looked into his eyes.. Natsu had started crying… and she cried too….

"Friends?.." She smiled.

"Friends" Natsu said smiling back.

She wiped away her tears from her face and felt something cold drop on her hand. She looked up and saw tiny snowflakes falling down.. It was snowling..

How beautiful she thought…

"Well I'm going to go home now. You should go home too. Happy might get sick from being out. It's snowing."

"Luce.. I'll walk you.." He got up slowly, making sure not to wake up Happy in his arms…

"No It's okay. I'll be fine. Oh and by the way…."

She turned around to face him sideways. She smiled… a genuine smile..

.

"Congrats to you and Lisanna. You guys look good together."

.

With that, her bracelets began to shine… "Later Natsu~" and she quickly vanished.

He stood there frozen… Lucy had surprised him so many times in the past couple days.. his heart was having a hard time keeping up..

"look good.. together?" But he and Lisanna weren't a couple.. he had felt overwhelming joy that Lucy wanted to be friends again.. that she forgave him… that they could return to how they once were… but her leaving statement… he couldn't help but feel a barrier… Lucy sounded distant… it left him feeling cold… and it wasn't from the snow.

Happy had been awake.. the whole time… and this was his limit.. he pushed off from Natsu's arms and spread his wings to fly away… he flew towards home… tears falling from his face… now.. things would never go back to the way they were… things would never be the same…..

* * *

She was proud of herself.. she didn't expect herself to be able to smile genuinely to him.. but she was happy… he was the one who chose to let go.. and now she had the final say… she was the stronger person... she chose to forgive him… because she was taught to be the better person.. she forgave her father.. and now she forgave Natsu..

"Mom… I hope I made you proud…" she smiled upwards to the cloudy sky as snowflakes kissed her face.

_Friends… Natsu… We are friends… nothing more… nothing less…_

She entered her apartment… It was cold and she hadn't realized how cold she was from the weather.. she quickly went into her bedroom and went to shower.. the warm water pouring over her body was soothing and just what she needed.. when she had finished.. she put a towel on and went out to her dresser..

She opened her cabinet to put on some underwear and that's when she noticed someone on her bed.. she was too excited to shower that she hadn't noticed the body earlier…

Her eyes widened… she held her hands to her chest… blonde hair… masculine body… furry coat?..."LAXXUUSS!"

He quickly sat up and looked around the room ready to pounce. He finally focused his eyes to Lucy who was standing shocked next to a drawer, with a lace panty in her hand.. and wearing nothing but a towel.. her hair was wet and so water was dripping down her arms… chest…

Gulp…..

"What are you doing here?! And you broke into my apartment?!"

"Calm down Lucy…" he said as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand..

What… had he just called Lucy by her name?...

He got up and took a step towards her and Lucy frightened by his actions… took a step back.

Raising an eyebrow, he walked towards her and Lucy walked equally backwards till she hit the wall and had nowhere else to go.

He towered over her now.. close and now they were only inches apart…

"I wouldn't have had to come here.. if you hadn't run away…. "

"Oh… yea… sorry about that… hehe… can you.. back off a bit?"

"Why? I enjoy where I am right now."

Lucy was getting annoyed now. She wasn't going to be toyed around… and if Cana did like Laxus.. and they did… were in a relationship.. she would never do anything to ruin it.

"Laxus… I'm sorry for being a burden on you. You came all the way to Tenrou Island to bring me back.. and you found me sick.. and I am really thankful for all that you've done.. but I'm okay now. I don't have a fever anymore. So you can…"

"Cana and I don't have anything between us."

"Wh…what?"

"Nothing is happening between Cana and me.. Mira asked me to take her home last night and she lost her keys. I took her to my place for the night. That's it."

"Wh..why are you telling me this?"

"Geez blondie." He leaned in dangerously close.. their noses were barely touching…

"You aren't that hard to figure out. And I know why you left….. you like me." He said with a grin.

"WHAT?! No! I.. left.. because Gray wanted to buy me dinner today!" Lucy quickly replied back. That was close… she was slightly attracted him.. who wouldn't? It was Laxus for goodness sakes… oh..my….

"Mhm. Sure." He stood up straight and went to sit on the couch.

Lucy let out a breath of relief. She shivered from being cold… then she realized how undressed she was.. she quickly gathered her pajamas and ran into the bathroom.

"Oiy blondie!"

"Stop calling me blondie bunnyboy!"

Laxus chuckled. "Hurry up I'm bored."

Lucy finally exited the bathroom and put a hand to her hip. "And how is that my problem? You are in my house uninvited remember?"

"Well I am in your house now. I'm your guest. And you should entertain your guest. You really don't have any house manners do you Blondie."

Lucy was fuming now. She walked up to Laxus and bent over. She flicked his nose and caused him to look back in surprise at her.

"Well I'm going to sleep now. So you should leave."

"You want me to leave in weather like that?" Laxus said raising an eyebrow smirking as he pointed to the window.

A full blown blizzard.

She paled…. There was a blizzard… and they were getting snowed in… Laxus… was getting snowed in with her… alone….

"I thought so." Laxus smirked. "So.. I'm not sleepy now and I'm still bored."

.

.

This was going to be a long night….


	25. Cursed?

**Please leave me a review~! It helps me write faster :) And urges me to think of new ways to surprise you all!**

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

She came out of the restroom and was in her pajamas. Laxus had a tight fitting black shirt and maroon pants on. His coat was hanging on Lucy's chair by her desk.

He had crossed his arms and had an impatient look on his face. And then she had the greatest idea.

"Laxus… you aren't going to sleep in those clothes. I have something better for you that you could sleep in."

He heard her come out of the bathroom and had waited for her to make the first move. He raised an eyebrow and looked towards Lucy.

She went over to her bed and knelt down. Pushing a suitcase out from under the bed, she opened it… she gave Laxus a smirk and lifted a white and pink suit from it…

His eyes went wide and he started laughing..

"HAHAHA! I am not wearing that." He gave her a stern look.

"Come on. You can't sleep in those clothes. It's uncomfortable. And plus… this one is much softer.. and cuter…" Lucy said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"Nope."

"Plllleeaseee?!" Lucy got up with the suit in hand.. she slowly walked over to Laxus to put her puppy eyes to use.

"NO." He looked away.. and then an idea hit him as well..

"How about we do this.. I'll wear that hideous suit.. if…"

"if what?"

"You wear your bunny suit."

Lucy's eyes went wide and she blushed… that suit was so.. embarrassing… and then… both of them would be in bunnysuits…

He reveled in the fact she understood what he was getting at… both of them in bunnysuits.. and she would be in the sexy bunnysuit.. just for him…

"Nah. It's okay then."

"What? You're no fun."

"I was just suggesting it since this one is softer to sleep in. You can do whatever you want."

"What you don't like the bunny suit? I think it…. Looks very sexy on you.." Laxus leaned in close to her face.

Lucy stared back into his eyes.. they were…. Piercing… and it made her blush.. he was extremely close..

"Ha… Laxus… You're funny.." Lucy leaned back so that now she was sitting on her butt. She was leaning on her hands that were behind her..

Laxus leaned in closer, getting off the couch and now pushing Lucy to lay on the ground.

he was bent over her… he could hear her racing heart and he enjoyed that he had the ability to make her heart flutter.

She looked up at his face… she was.. getting nervous.. Laxus was on top of her… and she didn't know what to do… he leaned in closer to her face and she quickly moved her face to the side… clearing her face from being able to kiss Laxus..

"Laxus… what are you doing…."

In a soft husky voice… "Then we can do like bunnies do…"

MAD blush…. Lucy was screaming in her head… "What is he doing?! Why is he acting like this?! I….I…"

Bringing his face down closer to her neck… he grazed her neck with his lips… breathing in her scent…

Heat… Then he saw it….. a bright red fiery pattern lit up…. On her neck…. It was unmistakable…. Fire… it was a bright fire pattern… and it smelled… not of Natsu… but something similar to Natsu… more… ashy… more animal…

He pushed himself up to look at Lucy's face… her eyes… they had the red pattern on them as well.. glowing..

"Lucy… LUCY!"

He then caught sight of something burning around his stomach… He quickly sat up and found her pajamas being burned.. he quickly pushed up her pajama shirt up to her chest… and gasped..

Her skin.. a small portion of it was on fire…. A area close to her bellybutton…. And it was real flame…

He quickly went in to the kitchen to bring a cup of water... he poured the water over her stomach.. but the fire didn't go out… it remained burning.. the flame.. it wasn't an ordinary flame…

If water wasn't going to work.. he had to try something else.. since the flame was so small.. he cupped it over with the cup he had.. he was trying cut out the oxygen for the flame to burn…he waited for a few minutes… and he noticed that Lucy's eyes were returning back to normal.. the mark on her neck faded away…

"Lucy….?"

"huh…?" Lucy looked towards Laxus and was staring at him now.

"What are you doing Laxus?"

"I'm… putting out the fire."

"What? That doesn't make sense at all… I'm not on fire…"

"Lucy… do you remember anything that just happened right now?"

"I.. fell asleep…. I don't even know how I did that… "

"Are.. you feeling okay?"

"Yea.. I think so.. But what are you doing holding a cup on my stomach… and why is my stomach wet… WHAATT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!"

Lucy panicked and Laxus put his hand on her chest.. calmly pushing her down to lie again… his gaze… it was serious.. and full of.. worry?.. why did he look like that..

"What happened Laxus?"

…

"Nothing. You passed out after I said lets do as bunnies do. You must have a pretty dirty mind to pass out after that. I guess you really like me?" Laxus smirked.

"WHAT?! NO!?" Lucy shoved off Laxus' hand with the cup and the hand on her chest. It was too late.. the cup was shoved off and Laxus quickly stared at her stomach…

There was nothing there….

She checked her stomach too.. to see why Laxus was in that position..

"You are so weird Laxus"

"ME?! YOU ARE THE WEIRDO!"

"I'M NOT THE ONE HOLDING A CUP TO A PASSED OUT PERSON'S STOMACH!"

Laxus got up and walked slowly to her.. he looked annoyed…

"Wait.. Laxus…. Stop.. I'm sorry.. LAXUS!" Lucy ran around the sofa and Laxus ran after her…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHAHAHAHA!"

* * *

It was really dark now… Laxus was on the sofa… lying with his hands behind his head… the snow was falling hard outside… Lucy bundled up in her bed..

He couldn't help but worry about the event earlier… was Lucy cursed?... was she in danger again?... how did the spell get triggered?... why did it smell somewhat like Natsu?... he hadn't marked Lucy had he?.. no… he couldn't have…

The clock….. tick tock… tick…..tock…

He finally fell asleep…

* * *

It was morning and everyone in the guild was bustling about…. Wearing winter clothes… except Gray of course… he was loving the weather… Mira was passing out hot chocolate…

The doors opened and Lucy and Laxus came in together…

"Hi everyone!" Lucy said happily.

"LUCE!" Natsu said waving.

"Hi Lucy~!" people said from all over. And then their eyes went wide… "and Laxus…?"

Natsu had noticed too and he had a confused look on his face. Gray smirked at the two and so did Gajeel.

Mira hurried over and stood in front of them.. and slyly with a raised eyebrow… "Why are you guys walking in together? Did you guys.."

"Don't go thinking up weird things now Mira." Lucy said "He just stopped by to see if I was feeling better from a fever I had.. and he got snowed in from the blizzard.."

"Aaahhh. How nice of you to check on Lucy Laxus… You are turning to be a quite caring gentleman.. I'm surprised.. or is it only because its Lucy?" Mira said

"Whaatt! No! Mira!" Lucy turned red.

"Oh.. Laxus.. You are interested in Lucy?" Erza said walking up.. she looked Laxus straight in the eye.. she was in protective sister mode..

"Erza! It's not…" Lucy said waving her hands in front of her and shaking her head..

"Tch.. you girls are annoying.." Laxus said as he turned to go towards the raijinshu. But then he saw Gajeel in the corner of the guild and decided to walk over to his table instead.

Erza, Mira, Lucy.. everyone in the guild watched Laxus walk over to Gajeel's table.. it was a rare sight.. and unusual for Laxus to choose anyone to sit next to besides the Raijinshu.. the Raijinshu were sitting crying as they saw Laxus walk away… "We got replaced?!" They thought

"Laxus is really weird lately…"

"What do you mean Lucy?" Mira asked.

"Oh it's just he's surprising me more and more each and every day."

"Yes. He is being very out of character" Erza said.

"Hm…. Well.. Would you like some breakfast Lucy?"

"Yes please!"

.

.

"Yo…"

"Gihi.. I'm assuming things went well between the two of you since you both come back at the same time… you reek of her smell.." Gajeel said smirking.

"Shut up Gajeel. You're turning into a little girl.. matchmaking people like Mira."

"Oiy lightning face. I did you a favor."

"Tch.. come with me to the Master's office. I need to tell you something."

"What.. don't tell me what to do… we aren't ….."

"Shut up and come. I won't ask again." Laxus glared at Gajeel.

…

"Did something happen?" Gajeel watched Laxus' serious face closely… then at Lucy sitting at the bar smiling….

"Not here…." Laxus stood up and went up the stairs.

Gajeel's face darkened. He didn't like this one bit. Something… had Laxus worried… why was something always going wrong….

.

.

Natsu had been listening to their conversation.. he punched his table with a fiery fist… Gajeel and Laxus had gone upstairs into the Master's office..

"So… Gajeel is setting Laxus with Lucy.. over my dead body..." Natsu thought…

"Yo flamebutt.. why are you so tense?" Gray said as he sat down in front of Natsu.

"Shut up ice princess…. Go find someone else to play with."

"Geez Natsu.. what's up with you."

Giggle giggle. Natsu and Gray turned their heads to the giggler. WENDY. She was sitting at a table next to theirs with the exceeds and Romeo.

"What are you giggling about Wendy? Do you know why Natsu's so moody."

"uhm… Natsu-san is jealous"

"What? No I'm not."

"Jealous about what?" Romeo said.

"I said I'm not jealous."

"Oh.. is Natsu in love?!" Gray said with a grin.

"What?" Natsu looked full heartedly surprised.

"Well why else would you be jealous. You don't care about clothes or things.. just food people Happy… and your dragon."

"Yea Natsu-ni.. You just ate not that long ago, so its got to be someone…" Romeo said.

"Oh it must be Lisanna!" Gray said.

"What!? Why would I be jealous of Lisanna?"

"No stupid. You are jealous… nevermind.. you love her don't you?"

Natsu was speechless… Love.. love lisanna?... there again someone was asking him if he loved her… he still didn't know..

"I…."

"Natsu!" Lisanna came over.

"Oh.. hey Lisanna"

Gray looked at the two with a smirk. "I'll leave you two some space" he said as he left with Wendy and Romeo in each hand, pushing them away.

"So Natsu.. I heard that the storm is coming again tonight.. and so I was wondering if you wanted to do a lunch instead. I don't want to go out in the blizzard at night."

"Oh.. Okay. Yea."

Happy who was close by heard Lisanna ask Natsu. He flew over to Natsu.

"Where are we going to go eat. I hope there is fish."

"Oh.. uhm" Lisanna said.

"Sorry Happy. Lisanna asked to go eat alone with me."

"Then.. what am I going to eat?" Happy said… he looked depressed….

Natsu and Lisanna looked guiltily at him..

.

"I can babysit Happy for you." Lucy said as she walked over to them.

.

"Luce!" Natsu said with wide eyes.

"Lucy… are you sure?" Lisanna said with worried eyes.

"Yea! I'll watch over Happy. I haven't hung out with him at all since I came back." Lucy said smiling.

Happy watched Lucy carefully… he was wide-eyed and silent.

"How's that sound Happy? Wanna spend the day with me? I haven't seen you around. Didn't you miss me?" Lucy said bending over to him, patting his head.

.

"Lushhhy…."

.

"Heh… You didn't miss me at all? Sheesh Happy. After all that I did for you." Lucy stood up straight and crossed her arms.

Happy teared up as he stared at Lucy… so she didn't hate him… he got up and flew forcefully into her chest. She had reacted to a fast flying happy by quickly opening her arms and caught Happy.

.

"LUSHHHYYY IREALLYMISSEDYOU ITHOUGHTYOUWERENEVERCOMINGBACK IAS;LKFJASF;FLKJA"

.

Lucy held happy in her arms and blushed. Happy was crying into her chest and she could barely make out anything he was saying. She laughed.

"I missed you too Happy." She said smiling.

Everyone in the guild had watched Happy and Lucy. It warmed their hearts.. except Natsu… it broke his heart… he wanted to be received like Happy too.. he wanted to rush into Lucy's arms.. wanted to hold her and have her hold him… he wanted to spend the day with Lucy as well…

"Well. That settles it. You guys go have a nice date now. I'll take care of Happy." Lucy said smiling as she turned around and walked towards Mira.

Lisanna blushed and was happy. Lucy was a good friend. Despite what she had gone through.. she held nothing against her or Natsu.. she was truly a good hearted person…

Natsu on the other hand remained quiet… Date…. He was going on a DATE with Lisanna…. And again… he felt uneasy….like he was going to get in trouble…. Lisanna had grabbed hold of Natsu's hand and slightly dragged him out of the guild. People whistled and cheered. He couldn't help but feel… uncomfortable.. something was off…

"Finally.. those two love birds.. took them long enough.. Feel bad for Lucy though.." Wakaba said. "Ey Macao?.. Macao?"

Macao was nowhere to be found. "Hm.. I just saw him…."

.

.

Natsu watched Happy smiling and talking to Lucy at the bar. She was smiling and laughing. Then the guild doors closed.


	26. Bunny Trap

**Please leave me a review~! It helps me write faster :) And urges me to think of new ways to surprise you all!**

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The two men were waiting for the Master to say something. He was busy filling out papers…

"What is it Laxus… Gajeel.."

"Jiji.. something happened to Lucy last night.."

"Hm…?"

The door opened and Macao stepped in.

"Good timing Macao."

"I could smell trouble stirring upstairs.." he said with his arms crossed.

"Now.. where were we." Master Makarov said looking up from the papers.

Mavis was sitting on the table in front of Master Makarov. Master Macao leaning against the door. And Laxus and Gajeel standing between them.

"Last night.. a pattern appeared on Lucy's neck… on her eyes.. and… something on her stomach.."

"A pattern?"

"Yea.. but that's not what's weird…Lucy blacked out.. with her eyes open…the pattern on her neck and an area on her stomach.. they were made of flames"

"Flames?" Mavis asked.

"Yea. Real fire. Not just any fire though. It was like a magical fire that doesn't go out with water. There was an area on her stomach that had a small fire emitting from her skin. It looked as if she was being branded.. or scratched.. and real fire was coming out from it. I tried pouring water on it to stop the fire but it just kept burning. I had to use a cup to cut off the oxygen supply.. only then did Lucy return back to normal and it was like it never happened."

"Hm….." Master Makarov said gravely. He had a serious look on his face. If Lucy was cursed.. it would be more pain to the poor girl…

"And.. the mark on her neck.. It smelled a little like Natsu.. but not exactly Natsu…"

"Are you sure you weren't dreaming or anything? Did you eat something funny?"

"You think I would make this crap up Gajeel?" Laxus gave Gajeel a dirty look.

"Natsu would never have marked Lucy or else we would know. We could smell it. And Natsu wouldn't know how to make such a mark anyways. And from your description.. it doesn't even sound like a normal mating mark.."

"Gajeel do you know what it is?" Master Makarov asked.

"No.. but if you say the mark smells similar to Natsu… maybe he would know what it is…. Or at least what the smell is…"

"We must be careful.. If Lucy really is cursed with a spell.. we could trigger something beyond our control." Mavis said gravely.

"Do you know how it got triggered?" Macao asked

"No.. " Laxus said looking away.

"Well I want to see this for myself.. Laxus.. We'll get everyone ready downstairs.. And you will retrigger it… so we can see what we are dealing with…"

Laxus turned red….

Everyone in the room noticed his mad blush..

"So.. you do know how you triggered it?" Gajeel smirked with an eyebrow raised..

"SHUT UP!"

"You both are dismissed. I will make the preparations for it tonight. In the meantime, keep Natsu and Lucy around."

The two men exited the office…

* * *

Happy was sleeping happily in Lucy's lap. She was petting him and he was unconsciously purring…

Mira was watching while smiling… "So Lucy.. how does it feel to be back in your apartment?"

"APARTMENT! RENT! OMG! I FORGOT ABOUT RENT!"

"Haha.. Why don't you go on a small mission then?"

"Yea.. but I.."

Crack! She felt a large person behind her. Happy woke up and looked up at Lucy.

"So you're going on a mission?" said the blonde muscular man.

"LUCY-SAN YOU'RE GOING ON A MISSION! CAN I COME WITH YOU?" Wendy said from across the guild.

Everyone stared at Wendy's sudden outburst. She blushed and quickly ran over to Lucy..

"I… don't…" Lucy was hesitant.. going on a mission so soon?... She..

"What are you waiting for bunnygirl.. how you going to pay me back huh?" Gajeel smirked as he came down the stairs.

Wendy smiled at the two dragon slayers and then at Lucy.

"We'll go with you Lucy-san!"

"No.. you don't have to…I'll"

"Come on blondie." Laxus quickly picked up Lucy and slung her over his shoulder.

"Whhaa! Laxus put me down!"

"Mira. You have a job for us?"

"Yes I have one right here. You should all be back by tonight."

"Sounds good." Laxus took the mission flyer. "Come on Wendy."

Wendy followed after Laxus while everyone watched with gaped mouths. Lucy was still panicking and was begging Laxus to let her down. Carla, Happy, and Lily followed after.

Erza and Gray stood at the door with their arms folded.

"And where do you think you are taking Lucy?"

"She's our teammate"

"Get out of our way Erza… Gray… Lucy needs rent money."

"She's out team mate and you are gravely mistaken if you think we'll let you walk out of here with her."

"Erza… Gray…." Master Makarov said sternly from the second floor balcony.

Everyone looked up at him.

"Let them pass. And you both.. I need to speak with you."

"But master!.." Gray said

Erza put an arm out at Gray to stop him. She looked at Laxus' face.. his face full of worry?..

"Let them pass Gray.."

Gray clenched his fists and stood aside..

Wendy walked up to Gray.. "Gray-san.. we aren't stealing Lucy from Team Natsu.. We are borrowing her for today… I'm sorry if we offended you.. We should have asked you all first.."

"It's okay Wendy.. make sure you keep an eye out for her… don't…. " Gray said smiling lightly.

Juvia came up to Gray and squeezed his arm.. she smiled lightly to him.. he smiled back..

"Tch. Like we'd let bunnygirl get hurt again." Gajeel said with his arms crossed.

"You're going too Gajeel?" Erza said with an eyebrow raised.

"You think I'd let Lily go by himself. Tch" he said looking away.

Lily smirked as he opened the doors. They headed out and Lucy was quiet all the while. Her friends really cared about her. She was so happy.. she smiled.. she forgot that she was being carried like a sack of potatoes by Laxus and found herself enjoying how weird her Fairy Tail family was.

Erza and Gray watched them leave and headed towards Master Makarov. They were at the door of his office and went inside. The door closed and the two faced the very serious looking Master Makarov, Mavis, and Macao. The door opened and Gildarts entered in with Mira.

"I think we deserve to be filled in on what's going on as well." Gildarts said.

Mira looked worried as she stood next to Erza.

Sigh…. Master Makarov started.. "Let me fill you all in…."

* * *

Natsu and Lisanna were having lunch at a nice restaurant.. the atmosphere of the restaurant was romantic… but Natsu was preoccupied with something... Lisanna notices..

"Oh… that is odd…" Lisanna thought.

He wasn't eating as much as he usually would.. and was quiet. Was he nervous?

"You okay Natsu?" Lisanna asked with a smile.

He snapped out of his thoughts and felt bad for Lisanna.

"Yea, sorry Lisanna. Just spaced out a bit"

From then on they ate and talked. Laughed a little. He paid.. and they walked back to guild..

.

Gray lunged and punched Natsu.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR GRAAYY!"

Gray was angry.. and it was seething out of him… he just kept lunging at Natsu and oddly Erza just let the fight happen… she was watching from the bar with Gildarts and Mira.

Lisanna just watched the brawl. She smiled half-heartedly.

Some things.. are just out of your control. now matter how you want something… there are times.. where it just doesn't work. Now matter how hard you try.. she could see it now…

.

Natsu.. would never be hers.

.

They had a very relaxed lunch, but nothing was special about it. There was no spark for him and she knew. They might have been childhood sweethearts.. but Natsu had grown up.. or at least a little.. She smiled. Heartbroken but happy that she was back to earthland… to be with her friends at the guild.. she looked around… walked to Mira…

After brawl.. Natsu sat away from Gray.. he still didn't talk to Natsu about why he started the fight anyways.. he looked around the guild remembering someone…

"Where is Lucy and Happy?"

"They went on a mission.. they should be back tonight." Mira said as she walked by Natsu to go to the bar.

The guild doors opened and he heard laughing… a familiar laugh.. he looked toward the entrance..

Lucy laughing. He smiled.. it was nice to see her laughing again.. to hear her laugh..

Gajeel looked irritated.. so was Laxus… Happy was hugging Lucy tightly. Smiling. And that didn't go by unnoticed by Natsu.. Happy was so… happy now. He had been brooding for a couple days and now he was back to his normal self.. was it all Lucy's doing? Natsu's chest warmed…

Wendy was giggling with Lucy.. and so were the exceeds.. the two dragon slayers were beyond annoyed…

"You guys came back fast! Finished already?" Mira asked from the bar.

They walked over to her Erza and Gildarts.

"Puhahah! Yea! You wouldn't believe how easy it was!" Lucy was holding her stomach while laughing.

She looked at Laxus and Gajeel.. they were quiet and ready to pounce on the two giggling girls..

"The clients were hitting on Gajeel and Laxus the whole time.. Wendy and I looked for the clients' lost items and it was really easy. They even gave us more reward money because they liked Gajeel and Laxus so much!" Lucy said laughing harder.

Levy stopped reading and stared at Gajeel… someone had been hitting on Gajeel.. her face turned red…. And she huffed… she tried to act like she didn't hear anything by reading… but it didn't go unnoticed by Gajeel… her jealousy reeked and he was enjoying the possessive side to Levy.. he walked to her table to tease her..

Laxus just growled and went to sit with the Raijinshu… they were so happy to have him back.

Wendy and Lucy located Natsu.. Romeo had sat down at his table creating a conversation with a beat up Natsu.

"How was your date?" Romeo asked.

"It wasn't a date?"

"Then what was it?"

"Dinner with a friend?"

"Right. Just the two of you. That's a date Natsu." Lucy said as she stood next to the table.

"Then were you on a date with Gray yesterday?" Erza and Mira looked wide-eyed at Lucy. Laxus clenched his fists and glared.. the Raijinshu moved slightly away from Laxus..

Lucy blushed hard. So did Gray. Juvia was fuming. Laxus looked at Lucy with stern eyes imploring her explain as well. Gajeel was watching the show.. and everyone had stopped everything to hear her answer.

"No no. I didn't have any food at home and I hadn't eaten anything.. so he offered to buy me dinner. That's it. I'm going to pay him back later."

"Well then it's the same for me and Lisanna."

"Its not because I didn't kiss Gray." Lucy said before she realized she said it aloud.

"WHAT YOU KISSED LISANNA?!" Everyone screamed.

"Uh.."

"Actually I kissed him." Lisanna walked up to Natsu's table.

"Lisanna?" Natsu said softly..

"I didn't think it would have been wise to tell everyone about it until we became official.. but now that its out.. We aren't dating.." Lisanna said smiling.

"Oh what happened.." Romeo asked.

Natsu was silent.. "I.. uh…"

"I confessed to him.. and we had a lunch to see if we should move forward.. but I realized we are too comfortable as friends.. sorry Natsu for confusing you.."

"Lisanna I.."

"He seems to like someone else though.. ;)"

"I…. do?"

"Yea.. She's… oh where did she go?" Lisanna looked around..

.

Flash of lightning.. Laxus stood by the guild doors to keep them shut.

.

"!##$ #$ What the heck are you playing at huh?!" Gray said yelling

"What I didn't do anything!"

"You are so stupid sometimes! You've liked her the whole time?!"

"Whos her?"

"LUCY YOU STUPID AIRHEAD!"

"…" He gulped… his chest tightened… he looked towards where Lucy was standing but she wasn't there..

"YOU UGGH! ! #!$# I swear you are the most…."

.

"Laxus move." Lucy said standing in front of him. Wendy was hugging Lucy from behind.. she was trying to stop Lucy from leaving…

"Laxus… please move.." Lucy demanded..

"Lucy-san… Pleaaa.."

"Luce.." Natsu said as he got up from his seat.

Lucy couldn't stand being in the guild right now… what?.. Natsu liked… her?... no.. this is all too messed up… he chose Lisanna remember! And now he's… NO.

Her bracelets lit up… and Laxus eyed Gajeel and Master Makarov who was standing on the second floor balcony railings…

Flash of light and it led towards the backdoor of the Guild… but then Lucy appeared as she stood blocked by Gajeel..

"Gajeel… MOVE" She said angrily…

He remained silent… why were they stopping her from leaving.. she needed to get out now!...

Natsu couldn't move.. he.. Lucy… his chest pounding… then it clicked… he… loved her? All he wanted to do was be with her.. hug her… hold her.. laugh.. cry.. live with her… he felt so alone when she was gone… and Lisanna's kiss.. it was shocking…. He didn't care to kiss her after… but.. if he loved Lucy.. did he want to kiss her…

.

He had.

.

"LUCE WAIT!"


	27. Set Aside

**Please leave me a comment! I hope you enjoy this chapter! I've been busy and so I don't think I'll be able to post regularly for a week. But I put out a long one as an apology. I'll try to bring one out again sometime this week!**

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

This was not happening…. Lisanna and Natsu just went on a date… She knew that Lisanna liked Natsu very much… but why was Lisanna giving up… how did it end like this… Lucy didn't like where Lisanna was taking this… confessing to the whole guild that she had a one-sided love relationship with Natsu…. and Lucy did not want to be in the guild to hear it… she needed to get out…

She slowly backed away from Natsu's table and ran towards the guild doors. Wendy who was standing next to Lucy.. knew Lucy was going to make a run for it.. she ran after Lucy… A flash of lightning… Lucy halted to a stop.. Laxus.. and Wendy hugged Lucy from behind.

"Laxus… please move.." Lucy demanded..

"Lucy-san… Pleaaa.." Wendy said holding Lucy back.

That's when she heard…

"Luce.."

Lucy couldn't stand being in the guild right now… what?.. Natsu liked… her?... no.. this is all too messed up… he chose Lisanna remember! And now he's… NO.

run. run. run. run. RUN.

She mouthed the incantation quickly… and Laxus saw what she was doing… he gave a look to Gajeel and Master Makarov..

Flash of light.. Wendy stood holding empty air… and Gajeel dashed towards the back entrance of the guild. He blocked Lucy from leaving.

"Gajeel… MOVE" She said angrily…

He didn't budge.. he didn't say a word.. he stared sternly back at her.. towering over her..

She had her hands to her keys.. she was about to call out her celestial spirit… when a flash of lightning went towards her… and Laxus quickly picked her up bridal style.. and walked to the middle of the guild..

"LAXUS LET ME DOWN!"

"Sorry blondie. We can't let you go just yet. Once its over I promise I'll take you home."

"What do you mean over? What's over"

Everyone moved away from the center of the guild.. to the walls…

"Wait what's going on" Natsu said puzzled not moving. Erza went and picked Natsu up and took him to the outer rim.

"Erza what's going on!" Natsu yelled as her hands gripped around his wrists.

A sword came to his neck.. a iron blade came to his neck on the other side and Gray crouched down in front of Natsu with an Ice blade.. pointed at his chest..

He gulped and stared wide-eyed at them…

"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?!" Lisanna screamed at them.

"EVERYONE BE QUIET!" Master Makarov yelled. Lisanna froze in her steps and everyone looked up at the Master.

"No one is to interfere. Natsu.. if you make one wrong move.. Then they will cut you down."

Natsu looked at Master Makarov with fear…. why was he being threatened.. by his family?

"It's just a precaution Natsu.." Erza said softly… "Just… bear with it and watch.."

He didn't feel too good about this… he really felt a strong feeling of dread… he put his gaze upon Lucy… who was staring at him as well… she was scared too… She looked up at Laxus… and he just looked on.. with a stern serious face… her whole body began trembling….

"Freed.."

"On it.."

Freed quickly wrote a rune.. and a rune cell encased Laxus and Lucy… Lucy was definitely scared now.. she tried to get her hands to her keys but noticed.. they weren't there.. her eyes widened…

"Sorry Lucy-san…" Wendy said guiltily from a wall.. "I'll give them back to you as soon as it's over…"

Lucy looked at Wendy… tears were slowly coming out.. she was beyond scared.. and she began to breath irratically… Loke was standing next to Wendy… with anxious and worried eyes… then Lucy started hyperventilating… and Loke took a step forward only to be caught by the shoulder by a serious looking Mira..

Loke looked helplessly at his master… there was nothing he could do at this point.. he clenched his fists and watched…

The lights dimmed.. just barely enough to see Laxus and Lucy like shadows..

"Begin Laxus" Master Makarov said.

Lucy looked at the Master… with scared eyes.. begin what?.. the whole guild was silent… only Lucy's heavy breathing could be heard… she struggled to calm down… she looked at Laxus… he was looking at her now.. with soft eyes… he looked at Natsu.. the softness in his eyes faded and they had narrowed..

Natsu stared back at Laxus… he didn't like the way Laxus was carrying Lucy.. and he could tell Laxus was looking at him.. even though the room was very dim and Lucy and Laxus merely looked like shadows..

Laxus saw Natsu's outline… he couldn't see his face.. but he knew.. Natsu was watching intensely…. Bringing his gaze back to Lucy… she was still shaking.. her heart was pounding… she had clenched her eyes close and was grasping her chest.. she was trying so hard to calm herself down….

He sat down and put her on his lap… she was facing him and he had an arm around her waist and a hand on her neck.

"Calm down… relax.." Laxus said softly.. bringing himself closer to Lucy's face…

"I'm… trying…" Lucy said… "It's… your…. fault… let… me… go….." she said in between her breaths.

"Sorry Lucy… but we had to do this…. let me help you okay? trust me."

Lucy went wide-eyed and look into Laxus' eyes. They were close enough to see each other's faces and the dim light was bright enough for her to see the warmth in his eyes and how close he was..

Everyone watched with wide-eyes.. everyone had been filled in with minimal information about the test… but they hadn't anticipated this… they saw the two shadows come closer.. their heads dangerously close.

A sweat dropped from Natsu's temples.. he was clenching his fists.. gritting his teeth… "He wouldn't dare….." Natsu said softly..

Laxus smiled…he heard Natsu… he gazed into her eyes.. she was so confused…

Quickly but gently… he brought his lips onto hers… she froze.. and so did everyone else in the room… it was silent..

After a few seconds of silence.. Lucy unfroze and tried to push herself off of Laxus.. but he was too strong.. she stopped struggling and gave up fighting... what was going on.. and Laxus finally stopped the kiss but only to bring more kisses to her cheek and started to kiss down towards her neck… Lucy was panting for air…the kiss was long but Laxus wasn't done…

Lucy's head was turned so that she faced Natsu's direction... she couldn't see but his face was in total shock... and she was glad that she couldn't see… she didn't want to see him.. then she felt… Laxus' hot breath on her neck.. he had opened his mouth… and was about to kiss.. nibble her neck…

Something lit from Lucy's eyes… it was red.. like fire… a pattern… a fire pattern… Laxus quickly brought his head away from her neck… her neck had a pattern as well and it was burning.. he quickly put his hand on her shirt and brought it up to her chest.. her skin was on fire again… but it was a curling line now.. going from her bellybutton… to right under her breasts..

"LUUUCCEE!" Natsu yelled. Erza, Gray, and Gajeel holding him down with their weapons.. but shock evident on their faces from bright lights.. the fire from Lucy's body…

Laxus quickly put Lucy on top of the table.. she was knocked out again.. with her eyes open.. the same like the other time… but the flames seemed stronger.. the lights came on fully..

.

"NATSU!" Laxus said. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?!"

.

Everyone had their gaze on Natsu.. "HOW WOULD I KNOW?! IT'S THE FIRST TIME SHE'S DONE THAT. WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER! But…."

.

He sniffed and his eyes widened… "Why…. whyyy… does she smell… of Igneel?"

.

He was shaking… He didn't understand.. everyone was in shock… Igneel? Natsu's dragon?

Laxus looked back at Lucy… he stared.. and then noticed… the fire on her stomach.. it was spreading…

"Jiji! It's spreading!"

"LET ME GOO!" Natsu said.. "LUCY NEEDS MEE! LET MEEE GOOOO!"

Natsu flared up and Erza kept her stance.. risking being burnt.. so did Gajeel and Gray…

Erza looked at Natsu with hesitant eyes… "Natsu… We don't know what it is.. or if you…"

Then it hit Natsu.. why he was being restrained.. "I DIDN'T DO THAT TO HER! NOW LET ME GO!"

Erza looked at Master Makarov… he nodded.

She brought down her sword and Gajeel and Gray disarmed.

Natsu flung towards Lucy… and banged at the runes.. he was still on fire

"Freed… erase them." Erza said.

He quickly erased them and Natsu ran towards Lucy… and the fire from his body dissipated.

"Luce.. Lucyy?... Can you hear me?"

silence…

"What do we do? It's spreading…" Natsu took a whiff of the flames… his eyes narrowed and he had an urge… he brought his face closer to her stomach..

"NATSU WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Erza yelled as she began to lunge towards Natsu.

He opened his mouth… and sucked in the fire and he couldn't stop... the fire was so good.. Igneel's fire..

Everyone watched in shock.. Laxus stood watching.. clenching his fists…

Natsu ate the flames on her stomach… from her bellybutton.. and moved upwards… then he moved on to her neck.. he opened his mouth.. his canines sharpened.. his eyes narrowed…. he had an urge.. to bite….Lucy….

BOOM!

Natsu had gone flying away from Lucy.. Laxus had a fist extended out… angry face.

The mark on her neck… slowly faded.. and so did the ones on her eyes..

She regained her consciousness… and blinked.. everyone was staring at her..

Then she remembered earlier… she looked up to see a red angry Laxus.. and she noticed… everyone was red faced as well.. she even turned red from everyone's stares.. she looked down at her stomach.. her shirt pulled up..

"LAXUS YOU PERVERT! LUCY-KICK!"

Laxus was pushed back a little from her kick.. but it barely did anything to the bulky guy… he looked at her with worried eyes..

She sat up and looked around the guild. Natsu was getting up from under a broken table.

"What happened?" Lucy asked.

No one knew how to respond. What would they tell her.. they were all red faced from the show… it was quite.. .

Laxus and Lucy kissing.. Natsu eating flames off of Lucy's skin..

Mira took charge. "Oh nothing nothing Lucy. You just passed out after Laxus kissed you"

"Again? "

.

"AGAIN!?" Natsu said enraged

* * *

"Does that mean…"Macao said…

"Yes… yes it does…" Master Makarov said gravely… "We'll have to postpone the s-class exam and prepare…"

Mavis was wide-eyed.. and serious… her face was dark..

* * *

Laxus watched as everyone tried to go back to their normal business.. of course everyone faked it… Lucy had no idea what happened and they were trying to hide from being the ones to tell her.. he couldn't help but feel alarmed…

Lucy and Natsu were talking.. he was asking her about the episodes.. and he was yelling at her.. and she was yelling at him back..

Natsu.. without a doubt.. had almost marked her… if he hadn't punched Natsu away… he would have lost control..

"I saw it." Gajeel said as he walked up to Laxus.

"Me too." Wendy said coming up.

"That stupid Natsu.. he has no self-control.. what are you going to do?"

"Nothing."

Gajeel gave an incredulous look.

"Lucy isn't stupid… she's naïve.. but not stupid… she won't let him waltz back into her life like nothing happened and let him have her. She can handle herself.. But… it isn't a curse… " Laxus said with a clenched fists.

"It seems that it is a seal…. and Igneel… set her apart for him.." Wendy said seriously.. "But is it even possible to do so? Then Lucy would have met Natsu before… and Igneel?"

"Tch. How should I know. This is becoming so crazy…" Gajeel said with his arms crossed.

"Lucy… is hiding something… I know it.." Laxus said with narrowed eyes.. as he looked at Natsu and Lucy fighting…

Laxus turned around and slammed open the guild doors.. and left..

Lucy noticed Laxus leave and she wanted to interrogate him to tell her what exactly happened.. what was the whole thing about… why wouldn't anyone tell her? and if someone was to tell her.. it would be Laxus... she turned around and went towards the doors but Natsu grabbed her wrists..

"Luce.. I still have a lot to talk to you about…"

"Well I don't want to talk Natsu…"

"Please Luce.. Just listen…"

"Why?.. let me go"

"LUCE JUST LISTEN TO ME!"

"NO NATSU. I WANT TO GO HOME!"

"FINE" Natsu quickly picked her up and ran out of the guild…

Everyone watched Natsu carry Lucy away… Gajeel and Wendy watched with narrowed eyes… once Lucy was gone for sure.. everyone burst into talk about what they had seen.. trying to make sense of what was happening to their celestial mage.. only Erza, Gray, Wendy, and Gajeel remained silent…

* * *

He plopped her on her bed and pinned her down at her wrists.. She looked up angrily at him.. and he at her…

"Lucy. Just listen to me. Stop being so stubborn!"

She looked away to the side.

Sigh…. "In the guild… you had markings that appeared on your body…"

Her eyes widened…

"The markings were on fire… and I could smell…. Igneel… Igneel's fire…"

No…

"Why do you smell of Igneel? Did you meet him? Did you see him?"

She looked at him again.. fear in her eyes… he noticed… he let go of Lucy and stood back away from the bed…

"Sorry.. Luce.. I didn't mean to scare you…"

She was silent… she sat up…

"Luce.. if you know anything about Igneel.. please tell me…"

She saw.. a broken Natsu.. he was so fragile right now… a glimmer of hope was in his eyes…

"I don't know where he is… I haven't seen him….I'm sorry Natsu…."

… his head was bowed.. his hair covered his eyes…

"Natsu.. I"

Natsu lunged and forcefully kissed Lucy. He hugged her down on the bed… Tears began to come out… for both of them…

He let go of the kiss and he nestled his head in her neck..

"I'm sorry Luce… I really am…. I messed up… when you died… both you and Igneel were gone… I felt like dying…. please… don't leave me again… stay with me…. I…"

Lucy was crying hard now… "No.. please Natsu…. don't do this.." she thought.

"I.. love you…. I'm sorry I realized so late…. but it was always you…."

The world collapsed for Lucy… she prayed.. she wished from the bottom of her heart… this wasn't happening…. she cried harder.. Natsu crying on top of her as well… holding her as if there was no tomorrow…

* * *

She was walking in a meadow… it was very beautiful and little white flowers were blooming… she saw a woman carrying a little girl.. only about 4 years old… her eyes widened… it was her Mom… she was so young.. and the girl.. was her…..

A gush of wind.. and Lucy looked up… mouth agape… she saw…

A dragon descended from the sky… A red scaly dragon.. and landed in front of Layla and little Lucy…

The dragon lowered its head and a little pink haired boy jumped down from its head…

"Igneel… Natsu…" Layla said smiling.

"Layla….. and Lucy….." Igneel said

"Lucy…" Layla said as she put the little Lucy down. "That is Natsu. Why don't you go play with him."

"Mommy…" Lucy whispered

"Don't worry.. Igneel is a good dragon. And Natsu is friendly."

Little Natsu walked up to little Lucy, who was hiding behind Layla. He peeked behind and said "Hi."

Little Lucy blushed and said "Hi.."

"Wanna fight?"

"Mommmy!" Lucy ran around the other way from Natsu.

Natsu ran after her laughing.. and Lucy giggled as Natsu tripped.. He got up with a smirk on his face and ran after her.. causing her to squeal and run faster.. Natsu ended up jumping on her and the two little ones rolled around on the grass.. laughing.

"Layla… how are you feeling..?"

"I'm okay… it'll be a while till they find me again…. But we don't have much time..."

"I know… Are you ready…"

"No… How could I be…."

Both parents watched their children… Lucy was making flower head bands and placed one on a pouting Natsu.

"She'll be fine Layla… she's strong… and so will Natsu… " Igneel said..

"You can say that… your boy is strong… but Lucy… she'll be the one dying to save your son.."

Layla began to cry…. Lucy covered her mouth with her hands.. tears streaming uncontrollably…

"It won't be any easier for him either. She'll die to save the world. He'll lose…"

"Shouldn't I be enough sacrifice… she shouldn't have to die as well…"

"Layla… _look at them_..."

Little Lucy had finally finished putting all the flowers in Natsu's hair and her eyes sparkled from looking at her masterpiece. Natsu just sat with arms crossed.. pouting and bored… Lucy smiled and kissed Natsu on the cheek… at this Natsu blushed… rubbed the kiss off… "YUCK!" He got up and ran away. Lucy giggled and chased after him now.

"If they don't finish what we started… "

"I know…"

"They must succeed… and I will make sure of it"

Igneel looked towards Lucy… a magic seal appeared on the ground Lucy was standing on…. Lucy stopped running and watched the pretty lights… a seal appeared on her neck and her eyes… and slowly faded away…

"I've made it so that Natsu can find her… he may not know it... but the seal will urge him to protect her.. even if the seal is not activated..."

"Igneel... in the case that she dies earlier…"

.

.

"_**T******__h_en all humans will be annihilated….everything will cease to exist.."

.

.

Lucy stood.. covering her mouth… crying… her legs were weak and she fell to her knees…. she let out a scream... and everything turned black.


	28. He's a Pro

**Please leave me a comment~! **

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Sorry Sorry Sorry! I know I know it has been a while.  
I've been really busy. I won't be able to update till... Wednesday or Thursday! Sorrryyy!  
I promise to try and upload daily after this Wednesday!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Natsu.. do you love Lisanna?"

He looked up to her face. Slowly, he let go of her and stood up..

"I… don't know…"

She brought a hand up to face.. she covered her eyes…

"Natsu.. we won't work."

"Luce…"

"I did love you… I loved you.. then… but now … I just love you as a friend.. I was so scared then… I didn't want to stop being partners with you… spending time with you and going on missions… I was afraid Lisanna would take you away… but I was being foolish…"

He watched her wide eyed. He was in shock…. Lucy had just confessed…. Why hadn't he known before.. that means the whole time….. he knew he had to say something.. the silence was deadly… he was scared now.. what was Lucy doing..

"I didn't want to stop either.. I like spending time with you Lucy.. Please.."

"I know you do. But this…. We can't… its unfair…." She brought her hand down.. and sat up on the bed.

"We have people who love us.. and they deserve better… You.. me… we missed our chance… we can't cross that line now…"

Softly…."You mean I missed my chance… how long…" Natsu's eyes were covered by his bangs…

"How long?"

"When did you…"

She smiled as she looked at the side wall…

"I don't know when… it didn't happen over night… I guess it started from the very beginning…"

So much shock… he was trembling… Lucy noticed..

"It's okay natsu. Now.. I'm ok."

"Well… I'm not. I hurt my best friend.. and I didn't know you…"

"Natsu… you don't need to be feel guilty… you need to let me go…"

Silence.

"No. I… love…."

"No you don't.. at least not in that way."

"No.. Luce let me.."

"Don't deny it any longer. It's never crossed your mind that you liked me… loved me before.. before Lisanna mentioned anything.. or when Laxus…. If you love anyone in that way… it is Lisanna… you unconsciously chose her.. from the very beginning.."

"That's not true… I didn't make any choice… I don't want to hurt either of you.. "

"I know you don't… but we.. us.. can't happen…. We can't ignore what's happened.. I can't…."

"I'm sorry Lucy… I couldn't protect you…. I promised to.. and I…"

"You've protected me plenty of times Natsu.. And I am thankful.. but now… its not your job to protect me anymore.. I can handle my own.."

"I know.. you are strong.. you always were.."

"But you have someone to protect again.. you have Lisanna.. You can protect her now.."

"I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU OR HER AGAIN."

"I know.. Natsu… We wouldn't want to lose you either.. you need to go figure out your feelings Natsu… I've moved on… you don't need to force yourself to love me in a way different from before.."

Natsu cried.. clenching his fists…

"Hey… I know you are scared… you are scared of losing me again… of losing Lisanna again.. of us disappearing like Igneel… but Natsu…"

He looked up at her.. he stopped trembling

"We're nakama. And I know you much better than you think.. you'll never be alone.. Lisanna and I aren't going anywhere. We'll stand right next to you."

She hugged him hesitantly… but warmly

"I know it must be hard on you… with losing her.. losing me.. us both coming back.. and now me smelling of Igneel.. im sorry.. but in time.. I believe everything will come to light… and you'll find Igneel….everything will be fine… "

"Thanks Luce.."

"Now.. go home.. happy must be lonely and worried sick about you…"

"k.."

He slowly made his way to the window… and jumped onto the window frame… he turned around to see her again..

.

"Im really glad you're back Luce.. I'm glad we are friends again.." Natsu smiled.

.

"Me too Natsu.. goodnight" Lucy smiled back.

"goodnight"

He jumped out.

.

She stood frozen... and listened carefully as he ran off…. Training on Tenroujima with three dragon slayers had been helpful… she had good enough hearing to hear people nearby..

"Sorry Natsu…. You'll have to relive it again…"

Slowly… with trembling hands.. she closed her window..

.

.

Lock.

.

.

She stared at her closed window.. she suddenly felt like the walls were caving in… she needed air…

She ran… out the apartment.. out of the town…into the forest.. no moonlight... just vast number of stars twinkling above…

Stopping in the middle of a meadow… panting… she closed her eyes shut.. clenching her fists.. she was too dang tired for all this...too heartbroken… too beat down… how unlucky… UNLUCKY was she….

Hot tears ran down her face.. she looked up at the stars… anger.. frustration consumed her… sorrow….

She remembered her dream…. No.. not dream… memory… It was real.. earlier in the guild… during the time she had passed out… she had dreamt her memory…. It felt so real… it was so familiar… so.. HORRIBLE. The only reason she hadn't broken down in tears when she woke up was because she remembered what she was doing before she fell asleep… that Laxus had kissed her… and that very man was staring at her with worried eyes.. and so had everyone else in the guild.. they were all watching her like she was in the grand magic games again… beaten horribly…

But when Natsu told her about the mark….. the very mark Igneel had given her in her dream… she knew…. Oh how she wished it wasn't true…

.

.

.

It all made sense now..

.

.

.

Why Natsu had broken the magic charm's effect on Lucy when they first met… why Natsu came to rescue her… from Jose.. from Gajeel.. from every perverted jerk.. dark mage.. and monster that ever tried to cause her harm…

The mark unconsciously made his dragon instincts want to protect her….

His unusual antics of always wanting to spend time with her.. sneaking into her bed…

When she slept.. the mark.. with small trace amounts.. would leak Igneel's scent… and Natsu was unconsciously attracted to it.. by sleeping with Lucy.. spending time with Lucy.. he was in a sense doing the activities with Igneel.. like when he was younger and Igneel was still around…

It didn't help that Natsu.. was also attracted to Lucy's scent… it was familiar.. since they had met when they were young.. her own scent reminded him unknowingly of his childhood with Igneel…. Of family.

All these combined… how could he not want to protect her.. but how could she blame him for not knowing… for not remembering her… for misleading her…

.

She hadn't remembered him either.

.

It was so quiet… people were sound asleep… they did not have a care in the world… for Lucy Heartfilia… the girl who… would die once again… for their sake… for THEIR future…

.

"Mom… I can't breathe… this weight… it's too much…. So much that I think the ground will crumble under me…"

.

.

"Share it with me."

.

.

Her eyes shot wide open… she didn't even hear anyone following her… maybe she was just to emotionally compromised to care..

She looked towards the shadows…. Trembling with tears running down her face…

Rustle rustle… heavy steps were heard.. dark shoes…. Long pants.. broad chest… spiky hair….

She watched him come closer… Laxus….

He was in front of her now… looking straight into her eyes… she looked so scared… trembling…. Like a scared bunny.. and somehow… it angered him to see her like this… sure he originally set out saying he hated weaklings… and sure Lucy looked weak right now… but he knew… that Lucy was far from weak… and the Lucy standing before him… she looked exactly like the day she got her memories back…. And he NEVER wanted to see her like that again…

A wind blew by… gently pushing her hair in a small wave… she trembled harder…

In a quick motion…. Warmth draped over her shoulders.. Laxus had his coat around her.

They stared at each other… Lucy too scared to tell… Laxus not knowing how to start…

"Tell me what you're hiding.."

Lucy remained silent.. tears silently fell off her chin… he came closer and cupped her face with his hands.. he used his thumbs to wipe away her tears..

"Lucy… I know you're hiding something…. tell me… share the weight with me.. I can help.."

Small arms snaked around his waist…. Her head pushed against his chest… He was shocked by her sudden hug… her warmth and sniffling brought his attention back to her state.. he gently yet firmly hugged her back.. he felt his chest tighten… his chest ached for her…. Ached because she was in pain…

"You have to tell me what's wrong for me to help you… Talk to me Lucy… Is it about earlier… I'm sorry if I hurt you…."

To be honest.. he was very upset frustrated and confused after he left the guild.. how did Lucy just forget about their kiss… their very public kiss… and just go fighting with Natsu right afterwards.. did she really love him that much after everything she went through? And what was the connection between the mark, Lucy, Igneel, and Natsu? Was Lucy marked by Natsu's dragon? What did it mean? He had so wanted to beat Natsu to a pulp after he ate flames off her body and almost marked her himself… why was he being so possessive of her…

He had gone to release some steam in the forest.. and had been trying to forget about Lucy and let her go.. but no. she had to come running in the forest. And she had to be crying… and reveal.. that something was definitely being kept a secret…

"It's not… I'm not mad at you…."

They remained embracing each other…

"Laxus….. I need a favor…"

He gave her a gentle squeeze as a response.

"Please… don't ask about my burden… don't ask about the mark… don't… just…. Just be there for me... when I need you…. stand by me…"

"Will you tell me eventually?"

"I will.. when I'm ready…."

"Then okay.. I'll be right here… you know you can trust me…"

"I know..." She looked up at him.. they locked gaze. She smiled weakly.

"If I have you behind me.. I know I can make it through it…"

"Of course. You'll be able to handle anything with me around. You know, not many girls can say they have Fairy Tail's strongest dragon slayer supporting them. Let alone have been trained by him.." He said with a smirk.

She smiled wider. That smile.. a warmth grew in his chest.

"And kissed" Lucy said as she quickly hid her face in his chest blushing…

He blushed madly at this as well…. "I don't know blondie.. I've kissed plenty of other girls than you and they'd all agree that I'm quite..."

.

Lucy's arms and hands gently released their grasp from Laxus waists.. He stopped talking… she gently brought her arms to her sides…

.

She was clenching her fists.. HARD…. But the rest of her body remained relaxed to not give her sudden heartache away to Laxus.. her eyes were closed..

.

"Uh oh…. Uh oh.. what did I DO!..." Laxus thought.. "No… It was going so well!"

She tried taking a step backwards away from Laxus but he just hugged her tighter.. she struggled to step back… and he just held her in place.. hugging her tighter…

"Lucy..."

"Laxus" Lucy cut him off. "Thanks for everything. I know I can trust you… and you will support me."

She looked up at him and smiled. His heart sank…. Her FAKE smile...

.

.

He let her go… he stared at her…

.

.

Once he let go of her.. she took a couple steps back… and took off Laxus' coat and put it in his hands. He continued to stare at her… her continuing to smile.

"Well I should go now. It's getting late. I'll see you later Laxus." She turned around and before Laxus could say anything, she became a bright light and disappeared.

.

He stood there speechless… how could he do that…. How could he mess up so bad like that… he had her.. he had her in his arms! He was so angry…. Sparks began to emit from his body.. and he boomed away… in the distance.. booming could be heard… as he started blowing things up again…

Lucy arrived at her apartment.. she locked all openings to her apartment… she would not allow unwanted visitors to come again…

She sat on her couch.. in the dark… she clenched her chest…

"I should have known… he'll be fine when I'm gone… he's pro with girls… ha…." Lucy smiled half heartedly.

"Who was I to think Laxus Dreyar would love me…. Who was I to think Natsu Dragneel loved me…"

She leaned back on the couch and let her head lean back to face the ceiling. A bright light appeared next to her and a man sat on the couch with her.

"Lucy…"

"Don't Loke…" she said without looking at him.

"Come on…Talk to me… tell me what's going on…."

"I give up on finding Prince Charming"

"What.. that's it? Lucy… You Prince Charming is right here?" Loke said smiling.

.

"I'm going to die."

.

Loke stopped smiling. He stared at her with a serious face.

"Lucy. You shouldn't joke around like that."

"I'm not." Lucy said with closed eyes.

.

Silence..

.

"I'm going to die Loke….. Just like Mom"

.

* * *

She explained her memory… the mark… Natsu's actions… and Loke just clenched his fists…. Tears streaming down his face… closing his eyes shut….

"And… Laxus… It hurts so much…." Lucy said softly… "I…think I love him…"

Loke opened his eyes…. he stared at the ground..

"And.. it hurts that I have to die again… without having been loved back.. haha…." She said smiling… "At least mom had dad….. and she had me…. But then again… it must have been harder for her to leave…"

"NO! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DIE! YOU ARE GOING TO LIVE! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DIE AGAIN!" Loke grabbed Lucy into a hug… he was crying hard now… he was going to lose Lucy.. again…. AGAIN.

"We'll figure something out okay? You've gotten a lot stronger! And… and.. all your spirits will work hard to make sure you live… you are going to live Lucy"

"Loke…"

"Please Lucy…. Not again…." Loke cried…

She hugged him tighter. "It's my choice Loke. And I will… make my mom proud."

Loke's eyes widened.. He wanted this to be a dream.. it was all just a bad dream…

"Good-bye Loke. Forced Gate Closure"

"LU-!" a bright light formed and Loke vanished.

Tick….Tock… Tick….. Tock…..

.

She sat in the dark quietly…

.

"Sleep… It sounds nice…. Peace and quiet… Mom…Dad…. I'll see you soon….. Wait for me…"


	29. Friendly Warning

**Please leave me a comment~! Your comments motivate me to write faster! I really thank you all for your wonderful comments and all your support. Truly I thank you. **

**And because of your loyalty and awesome comments about my story.. I promise you that 3 more chapters will be uploaded this week. :)**

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy!**

**Happy Birthday to lizzie4343! :) **

* * *

It has been a few weeks now since Lucy came back. And the guild was back to normal. Everyone's spirits were finally back and all was peaceful. Erza and Gray had gone on a few missions with Lucy.. Wendy and Gajeel have tagged along some times as well… and only when the two dragon slayers went did Natsu tag along..

And right now… Natsu was talking with Lisanna and Happy.. seated at a table on a table closer to the guild walls. He was smiling and back to his normal self.

Mira sighed as she dried mugs behind the bar. She had hoped that Natsu and Lucy would get together.. not that she had anything against Natsu dating her sister.. but she knew that the two would never be able to forget.. what they could have been.

"Mirajane.. is something bothering you?"

"oh.. Freed" Mira blushed.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seem to sigh a lot." Freed blushed

"It's just…" Mira looked with sorrow filled eyes at Natsu's direction. Freed followed her gaze.

"Is it Natsu and Lucy?…"

"How did.."

"Everyone's feeling the same way. Especially after the awakening of her seal."

"Its so confusing… and just tragic… I just keep thinking about what they could have been… they seemed so perfect…" she said as she looked down at the bar table top.

"There is nothing we can do about them.. but.. if you do want to help Lucy.. maybe you can help her with someone else."

Mira looked at him with shocked eyes.. her eyes began to twinkle and Freed chuckled. He found her so adorable. Matchmaker Mira was back in business.

"Who.. what do you know Freed. Tell me!"

Freed leaned closer to her and Mira leaned her ear over as well. Her eyes widened and she was beyond shocked.

"YYEEEEEE!" she squealed.

Freed quickly covered her mouth with his hand. And began to pale as everyone in the guild began staring at the two. The two blushed.

"Ho oh! Mira Freed! I didn't know you two were so close~" Cana said from a table with a beer in her hand.

Freed quickly took his hand away from Mira's face and stood up straight in a proper manner. Mira cupped her face and looked away.. blushing.. People whistled and cheered for them.

"We are nakama. Of course we are close.." Freed said sternly.

"Oh just nakama~?" Cana said with an eyebrow raised and a smirk on her face.

Freed began coughing and Mira blushed madly as she continued to dry the beer mugs.

Just as Cana and Lisanna were about to tease Mira and Freed, the guild doors slammed open. Erza Lucy and Wendy had arrived. Everyone welcomed them back and they to everyone.

The three girls headed towards Mira as they walked through the center of the guild. Natsu stared at Lucy the whole time and she did not dare to return a glance. Laxus, sitting in the corner of the guild with the Raijinshu, stared as well and she did not give him a glance either.

.

Gajeel watched the three girls return, while sitting next to a smiling Levy.

"Welcome back Lu-chan!" Levy said.

"Thank Levy! Hi gihigglybutt" Lucy said smirking

"OIY! Bunnygirl I told you to stop calling me that!" a vein was popping out on his head.

"Hi Gajeel-san, Levy-san" Wendy said as she walked along with Erza and Lucy.

"You girls are back so early!" Mira said smiling. Freed gave the girls a slight bow and returned to his place by Laxus.

"Yea. You would be amazed at how much these two have grown. They are definitely worth S-class mages themselves." Erza said

"No no you're exaggerating Erza-san" Wendy said smiling

"Don't put yourself down Wendy. You both deserve credit for all that training you guys did. I am truly impressed" Erza said to the girl.

"But Erza, you did most of the work. We were glad to assist you. Now I have rent money enough to last me a long time! And even pay off gihigglybutt over there" Lucy said smiling.

Then something hard hit Lucy in the head. Dark aura seeped out of Lucy and the girls all looked towards the direction from which the book came from.

"GAJEEL! I WAS READING THAT!" Levy said punching his arm.

Lucy stomped over towards Gajeel's table and slammed her hand on the table. She glared at him and he at her.

"Gaaaajjeeeellllll" Lucy said through her clenched teeth.

"Gihi.. looks like bunnygirl is asking for trouble. You asking for a fight?" He said with an evil grin.

She stood up straight and crossed her arms. "I don't think you know who you are dealing with gihiggly. You're playing a dangerous game here."

"ME? You don't know who you're dealing with.."

"Oh really?" Lucy said smirking.

"Lucy-san! Gajeel-san! Pleaseee stop fighting" Wendy came over and flailed her arms. "You both are going to blow up the guild!"

"What a fight! Lucy's going to fight!? I want in!" Gray shouted.

"Wait I want to fight Lucy first! I was her partner so I get first dibs!" Natsu stood up fired up.

"Oiy flamebrain. I said it first!"

"Ice Princess I met her first!"

"You're really pissing me off… You want to go?!"

"I'll take you on anytime!"

"OIY YOU TWO!" Lucy shouted. Gray and Natsu looked towards Lucy.

"I'm not going to fight either of you so keep dreaming."

"LUUCCCYYY!"

"LUUUUCCEE!"

"Gihi. That's right. I get to fight her because I'm stronger than the both of you"

"In your dreams Gajeel." Lucy said with half open eyes. She was really getting tired of these boys. "Anyway. I can't fight you gihiggly. I can't mess up your face because then you'd look too ugly for Levy."

.

"WHHAATTT!" Gajeel stood up with a fist up.

.

Levy blushed… "Lu-chan!"

Lucy and everyone in the guild laughed. Even Laxus smirked. Lucy then slammed down a sack of jewels at his table.

"Here. I repaid you for your help with rent. Go buy Levy a huge diamond ring and propose already" Lucy said as she started leaving towards the exit.

Gajeel turned red and froze. Levy blushed madly and covered her face with her hands. Everyone cheered and whistled for the two.

"Going home already?" Mira asked Lucy.

"Yea~ See you tomorrow"

Everyone said bye and two dragon slayer eyes watched her go.

.

.

"Laxus.."

"hm."

"May I voice something"

Laxus remained silent. Freed took it as an acceptance.

"Lucy-san is up to something."

Laxus shot an eye to Freed and Freed had a serious look on his face.

"When I went to visit you a few days before she left for her s-class mission with Erza… I took a side route towards the secret lake.. and I came across something.."

Laxus' eyes went wide.. he began to stare at his hands on the table top.

"She's been using Gemini to transform into me. To create runes. Energy concealing runes to be precise.. so she can hide whatever she has been up to."

"What has she been doing…"

"After she sets up the runes… she makes Gemini transform into you. Although its not the you right now.. it's you when you were younger. I am assuming Gemini can not match you at your current level. But once your younger self is there… they enter the lake. Her Aquarius spirit is there to make sure she doesn't drown…"

Freed looked with worried eyes at the table top…

"Laxus.. she's using Gemini to activate the seal."

Laxus shot his gaze back at Freed. His face was full of anger and worry. "What is that girl thinking!?" he said in a frustrated low growl.

"Although I don't know why she would even want to activate it.. since she passes out.. but the two times I have spotted her… the seal appears stronger.. and the flames extend closer and closer towards the mark on her neck. The water seems to keep the flames at bay.. but they create so much steam.."

Someone came up and stood next to Laxus… "How is she able to stop the seal's magic. I haven't been there to stop the flames" Natsu said with a serious face.

He had heard every word from his seat next to Lisanna. Lisanna and Happy were looking over their direction with a puzzled face.

Gajeel sat with his eyes closed. Concentrating on hearing every word they said. Wendy sat with a serious look as well next to Romeo. Romeo watched Wendy with concern. He knew when Wendy was concentrating on hearing someone in the guild and knew it was best to leave her alone for the moment.

"Well.. after transforming into Laxus.. Gemini has been transforming into you Natsu. In that form, Gemini can eat the flames just like you and stop the seal. I wanted to make sure she was okay but she seems to be activating the seal for a reason."

Natsu was starting to walk away when Laxus held onto Natsu's wrist firmly and stood up.

"Let her be Natsu."

"Laxus We can't just let her hurt herself like that! It's dangerous! We don't know what it is!"

"She knows what she is doing. Her spirits are looking after her. When she wants to tell us… she will. I will not let you interfere." Laxus said firmly.

"Don't you care if she gets hurt! I have to stop her! Let me go!"

"DON'T ACT LIKE YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO CARES FOR HER NATSU."

Everyone was silent.

"I THOUGHT YOU CARED FOR HER. I THOUGHT YOU LIKED HER. YOU KISSED HER. WHY ARE YOU NOT THERE FOR HER NOW. WHY AREN'T YOU PROTECTING HER!"

Laxus punched Natsu and he went flying towards the other side of the guild.

"Natsu!" Lisanna stood up and ran towards Natsu. He leaned up with his elbows and the rubbed blood from his split lip.

Sparks were flying off of his body.. with a low threatening growl

"You don't know anything.. don't you dare question if I care about her." Laxus glared at him with very angry eyes. "You weren't there after she remembered everything.. you weren't there when she cried at night.. you weren't there when she had her panic attacks that almost killed her all over again… and who was there.. I WAS."

Natsu stared at Laxus wide-eyed.. his face darkened…. Lisanna looked at Natsu with a worried face… and shot back at Laxus angry. "LAXUS! It's not Natsu's fault. He didn't know. He had it tough too! He was hit hardest.. Lucy was his partner!"

Natsu stayed silent.

"You don't need to worry about her anymore because I'M GOING TO PROTECT HER."

Everyone shot eyes towards the lightning dragon slayer. Laxus had never cared for someone of the guild and dared to even declare it openly.. and here he was…

"She specifically asked me not to interfere with the matter of her seal. And she would tell us when she is ready. I will protect her. And if it means I have to protect her from you.. I WILL stop you."

Sparks were flying around Laxus' body still and Natsu looked up at Laxus..

"I'm relieved…" Natsu said softly

Laxus was caught off guard and the sparks disappeared. He stood frozen staring at Natsu, as the boy began to stand up.

The two had a stare down.

"I entrust her to you Laxus. She says she has forgiven me… but I don't think I can easily forgive myself…."

"…."

"So you better protect her.. you better not lose her.. cuz if you do… I WILL hunt you down."

"Tch. Like I'd be stupid enough to lose her."

"Natsu is right Laxus. If you hurt Lucy or if she gets hurt…" Erza said.. her signature death glare. "I will personally see to your demise." A dark aura seeped from her.

"Ari ari. That's before you guys can get to him before me" Mira said with an evil smirk.

"OIY! Me too! I'll beat Laxus down before all of you!" Gray shouted.

"Tch. Laxus aint stupid. He ain't gonna let bunnygirl get hurt." Gajeel said nonchalantly. "But if she does….. he won't know what hit him" He said looking over at Laxus with a evil smirk.

"And I thought we were all family. I'm getting death threats from practically all of you." Laxus said annoyed.

"Laxus.. that's what you get if you hurt our beloved Lucy. We don't want to have her hurt again now do we. Especially by my idiotic grandson" Master Makarov said smiling.

"Tch. It ain't ever happening Jiji" Laxus said smirking as he walked towards the exit. With a flash of lightning, he was gone.

Natsu smiled.. it was a sad smile..

"Natsu…" Lisanna said holding onto his arm.

"I'm okay Lisanna. I know I couldn't protect Lucy…."

"Natsu.. we talked about this.."

"I know. But now I'm kind of.. actually very happy for her.." He said with a hand behind his head.. he was smiling upwards towards the ceiling.

"She's in better hands. And she's so much stronger now."

"Don't say that.. you did your best.. She'll always be your friend Natsu..."

"Yea. She'll always be Luce. But you know Lisanna.."

"Hm..?"

"I may not have been able to protect her… but I'll protect you. I promise." He said with a grin.

Lisanna was shocked. She smiled and blushed. "Oookaayy"

"Come on. Let's go back to Happy."

* * *

Panting... Lucy lay on the shore of the lake..

"Lucy.. I think we should stop.."

"Ok.."

Loke looked at Lucy shocked. He didn't believe she would give in so easily. He then had a face of relief. Gemini returned to their Gemi and Mini forms.

"Besides... I know all I need to know now." Lucy said as she covered her eyes with her arm.

"And what is that?"

.

.

.

.

"If fairies have tails.."


	30. Black Hole

**Please leave me a comment~! Your comments motivate me to write faster! I really thank you all for your wonderful comments and all your support. Truly I thank you.**

**sorry its so short... my fridge completely broke.. and its been a nightmare... all my freezer food defrosting... and ugh.. so tired.. promise to upload another one up soon!**

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It was a moonless night.. there was a dark aura pervading the air… and they had prepared for this very day…

They knew… it was too peaceful... there was no way _he_ would stay dormant… ignore what they were doing…. For in fact.. it was a direct challenge and threat to his power.. his self-proclaimed title…

**The Dragon King.**

It was Acnologia who struck first.. and the dragons.. who loved and protected the human race.. they fought hard… the battle brought forth other dragons, both pro-humans and against, out of hiding… creating mass destruction throughout the mountain terrains… specifically away from cities and humans…

Earthquakes… tsunamis…. Storms... tornadoes.. it was truly… a earth shattering battle…

And in the midst of it all.. a women stood confidently on a ledge.. watching the battle rage on before her.. powerful surges of magic pressure thrust outward with each attack… she knew… it was time…

Slowly closing her eyes.. she softly spoke the incantation… and above in the sky…. A dark whirl of magic appeared… and began sucking in air… and all below it… even the dragons could not stop themselves from being sucked in…

_Black Hole._

With the help of the alignment of the planets… celestial mages were given an abnormal magic boost on this day… and Layla Heartfilia.. had activated a spell.. powerful enough to attack the legendary dragons…

Metalicana anchored several of his comrades down… preventing them from being sucked in… And then they noticed.. the magical powers of a dragon were too great… so great that although the unlucky dragons were being sucked into the magical black hole… a portion of their magic powers were being retained on earth.. these pressurized magical blobs flew around.. finding a body to manifest into… trying to retain a hold in the world… and they flew.. and combined with the only bodies that could hold them…

Acnologia clenched onto the earth with his claws… roaring from anger and frustration… and when he became the only dragon other than Metalicana and his comrades…. The black hole unfortunately disappeared….

With this opportunity.. Acnologia fled.. he flew away into the dark night… threatening them that one day.. he would have his revenge..

The poor girl collapsed… panting and desperately trying to maintain awake.. she could feel magic seep away from her.. into the heavens…. It was a curse…

the curse from casting the spell… as one's enemies were sucked into a dark void… so would the caster's magic… and as her magic seeped out of her slowly… it would hit dangerously low levels…

She would die…

"Layla…."Igneel spoke...

"Igneel… Grandine... Metalicana... " Layla said panting… "I'm sorry we couldn't get Acnologia… We failed."

"No. We didn't. We protected our children… at least for a little longer…" Grandine spoke.

Igneel growled in frustration...

"I have decided... We will never let this happen again… and to do that…..**we need to remove ourselves from their lives**…"

"Igneel! My kid ain't old enough to do crap for himself. Like I'd listen to you.. who made you King"

"I am the Flame Dragon King.."

"Shut it both of you. You male dragons are useless"

"Igneel.. you can't leave Natsu… I know because I am a parent.. I don't want to leave Lucy motherless… but Natsu… you are his only parent.."

"Natsu and the others **need to become stronger**… don't you understand… they are the only ones who needs to beat Acnologia and Zeref.. they will end this cursed war of ours.. Immense magical powers were gifted to acnologia and zeref… and they have become so strong… too strong for the world to handle... we however have won our war.. the dragon war….. we are the only ones left...humans must finish their own fight. and so it is fitting that Zeref and Acnologia should die from the hands of dragon magic gifted humans themselves…

A boy emerged from a dark shadow… the plants and all life forms rotted and deteriorated around him…

"Who…. **Who is this person who will kill me**?" the boy said with his gaze hidden from view.

"_Zeref…_" all the dragons narrowed their eyes towards the dark mage.

"You are quite bold to make such a claim… that I and Acnologia can be defeated…" Zeref said calmly.

"I know you both will die… by the hands of our children…. But I know my child will definitely make sure you die and leave this earth" Igneel said growling.

"And your child is….?"

"Natsu Dragneel"

"Then Natsu….. I shall wait…. _For the day I can finally die…._" Zeref backed into the shadows and disappeared…

"When the time comes… our children will know what to do. I have faith in them."

.

* * *

.

"It's almost time…. Natsu… will you be able to kill me... or will I destroy everything you hold dear... "

.

.

"The weight of a human life..."


	31. Lumen Histoire

**Please leave me a comment~! Your comments motivate me to write faster! I really thank you all for your wonderful comments and all your support. Truly I thank you.**

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Did you know…"

"No I did not Lucy-sama….. Layla-sama… had given us away right before that day… I understand now why she retired…"

"Yea… Mama was so strong…" Lucy smiled..

The two were sitting in her apartment… Lucy really needed to warm up after diving into the lake… it was winter in fact. The frozen lake had been exactly what she need to keep her flames at bay… and now… she knew everything…

Lucy couldn't help but feel so proud of her mom.. She would have never imagined that her mom.. would have been able to fight against dragons.. let alone Acnologia.. the very dragon that almost killed everyone on Tenroujima.

"Lucy-sama…."

"Hm…."

"I can not allow you to follow her footsteps… I promised to protect you.."

"Caprico… stop."

"Lucy-sama… We your spirits… promised the day you died that we would make you the most powerful celestial mage the world has seen yet… and we will protect you from dying even if it means our own death"

Lucy smiled warmly at Capricorn.

"No matter what… I'm going to make mama proud… what kind of daughter would I be if I turned my cheek away…."

"But your father… Jude-sama tried so hard to protect you…."

"I know… It really does make sense why he was so against me becoming a mage… pre-occupying me with his business affairs as much as he could.."

"He just didn't want you to end up like Layla-sama… Please"

"No Caprico… end of discussion… I am to continue with it."

"…."

In his mind.. "there must be another way.."

"Sorry.. to intrude"

Lucy and Caprico shot their eyes towards the source of the soft voice.

"First master!" Lucy was shocked

"Hello Lucy." Mavis smiled warmly.

"What… brings you here first master?"

"I know of what is to come.." Mavis said with a serious face.. "And I believe we need to prepare"

Lucy was shocked and frozen… the first master knew?!

"I know you have learned about the past… and I know what you must do… for the future"

"How did…"

"I knew from the first time I met you on Tenroujima. My hunches were confirmed at the Grand Magic Games… when you opened the Eclipse Gate.."

…

"Lucy… all the dragon slayers must be assembled together… otherwise we will fail…"

"But… it's impossible… Sabertooth twins will not come…. And let alone Cobra.. he's locked up.."

"You do not need to worry about the poison dragon slayer. Third master has already contacted an ally from the Magic Council and he will come when it is time. But the twin dragon slayers…

"Convince them to come."

"I have faith that you will be able to bring the dragon slayers together.. just as they all fought at the Grand Magic Games together against the dragons…"

"But you saw first master… none of them slayed their dragons…. How do you expect them to do it now..."

"They will not be alone… Third master has already contacted Lamia Scale… Blue Pegasus.. Quatro Cerberus… even Crime Sorciere…. Fairy Tail will fight. And we will be ready…"

"It really is becoming a war…. I don't want anyone to die … I'll give my life to have everyone safe.."

"You honestly don't think Fairy Tail would let one of their own die without a fight did you? Let alone let you die again Lucy"

Lucy looked upon Mavis' smiling face. She remembered all the times when her life was in danger… how her friends always fought for her.. and she for them… on Tenroujima how everyone fought together.. despite Master Makarov's demand for us to survive by running away…..

"Ha… I guess not.."

"Lucy…" Loke appeared… "We will find another way… so please don't give up on us… we want to you to live.. together…"

"Yes. Lucy-sama. We will stop at nothing to make sure that history doesn't repeat itself."

Lucy teared up… she smiled… she rubbed her tears away and looked at the first Master with confidence..

"Alright. I'm ready. I will bring back the twin dragon slayers.. I promise"

"I will let the third master know. Be careful and return safely" Mavis said before leaving.

Without looking directly at Lucy… she looked towards the wall on her left… "Did you figure it out… if fairies have tails?"

The two celestial spirits became wide-eyed and looked towards Lucy.

"Yes…. Yes I did." Lucy smiled.. "the Fairy Tail crest…. Its not a fairy is it.."

"No.. no it is not…" Mavis smiled as she left.

"Lucy.. what do you mean its not a fairy..?" Leo asked once Mavis left.

Lucy smiled… "You'll all find out soon enough…"

* * *

Mavis smiled as she walked along the streets of Magnolia.. times have changed quite a bit.. she saw the townspeople bustling about.. smiling and laughing for the holiday season..

It started snowing.. and a snowflake landed on her nose.. she looked up into the cloudy sky..

"It was a day like this…"

* * *

A little girl was shivering in her covers… it was a very cold winter night.. and it had started to snow…. She was trying her best to fall asleep… but then she heard it…

RROOOOARRRR!

The little girl sat up quickly from her bed.. she dashed out of her room.. grabbed a coat and ran outside.. the minute she set out of her house.. she saw it…

A dragon

A DRAGON was flying over her home.. swerving in the air and crashing onto the ground… she ran towards the crash site… running through the cold snowy forest… and she came to a clearing… a meadow… and a great white dragon… it was bloody and struggling to get up on its legs..

Of course the dragon sensed the presence of a human.. and it glared towards the little girl and growled…

She walked up slowly.. and the dragon growled louder at her.. but she kept walking closer… the dragon stared wide-eyed at the little girl… she showed no fear.. despite the threats the dragon gave.. the little girl came closer and closer…

She stood in front of the dragon's snout…

"Hi!"

The dragon was speechless… never had a human so boldly approached a dragon.. let alone.. HIM.

Silence…

"My name is Mavis Vermilion. I am an aspiring mage and I want to one day be master of my own guild."

The dragon stared deeply into the girls eyes.. he saw her heart.. it was pure and full of light… she was a rare human…

"Can you speak with humans besides growling? Oh… You're very hurt…" Mavis looked sorrowfully at the bloody dragon.

The dragon was shocked once again… this puny human girl.. was worried for him? Pain… he felt so much pain… he didn't have much time left… maybe it was fate that he met this girl… what a peculiar girl.

He spread his wings.. and lifted his head…

" I am the Light Dragon King… and once The Dragon King… Lumeroy"

The girl looked up in awe at the dragon.

"Oooohh! I knew you were special! You definitely look to be a dragon king!"

The dragon laughed.. he was truly amazed by this girl… she even made him laugh…

"Ughh…." The dragon collapsed onto the ground again… making a gust of wind push out.. but surprisingly.. the little girl held her ground…

"Why are you hurt? Are you going to be okay?"

Lumeroy thought over whether he should tell her… but she had definitely proven herself worthy..

"There is a dragon war… and in war… blood is to be shed.."

"… Why is there are dragon war?"

"There are some dragons who wish to live peacefully with humans… and others who do not… and there is a human who turned into a dragon… Acnologia.. with the help of Zeref.. the black wizard."

"Zeref….." Mavis said with a serious face. Her change in demeanor really pleased the dragon. She was definitely going to be a strong mage in the future..

"We dragons lived in a time… where dragons ruled earthland… however.. now it is not the case… Acnologia… has become increasingly more hostile to all dragons… and now our own existence is being threatened…. The dragon race will soon all be annihilated…"

"So you are saying that dragons once fought for human survival… are now on the brink of extinction? Because of humans themselves?"

"To put it simply…. Yes"

Mavis closed her eyes in thought… Lumeroy watched with amusement… and thought… "What will you do now…."

.

"I will protect you."

.

The dragon's heart skipped a beat. Lumeroy held his breath.

"What?"

"I will protect you… I will protect the dragon race…"

"HAHAHA foolish girl… what can you do?"

" You are our allies… the dragons that fought for us…. I will do whatever I can… I will fight for them…"

Amazed.. truly amazed…

Another shot of pain… he knew he didn't have much time left…

Mavis knew the dragon was dying… she could feel its magic power decreasing…

She walked up closer… and put a hand on the dragon's nose… it was small… but warm…. She smiled…

.

"Thank you… thank you for fighting for us…"

.

Lumeroy smiled and closed his eyes…

"Your guild.. I know someday… will the strongest in the world if they follow after you…. After your heart…"

"Thank you…" Tears streamed down her face…

For this girl… who weeps for a dragon… who does not fear him.. yet considers him a friend… from the first encounter… whose heart is pure and full of light…

"I leave you with a gift… you have shown you are most worthy…"

Mavis' body began to shine… as the dragon began to transfer part of his magic.. his memories…

.

"Young Mavis Vermillion… live.. live for your friends.. and fight along side them… become the strongest guild master.. be a light for the world…"

.

The light faded away.. and Mavis opened her eyes…

.

A huge dragon lacrima stood in the place of Lumeroy…

.

It was silent….the snow continued to slowly fall down…

* * *

Lucy had finally finished packing.. she had a coat on and put on her hood.. she was walking out of Magnolia.. when a man began walking next to her.

She was surprised.. that someone had sneaked up on her.. and she shot her eyes towards the man… her eyes widened..

"LAXUS!"

"Yo Blondie."

"What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking what you were doing running off alone?"

"I.. I…"

"Save it. I know."

" …."

"I went to go check up on you… and over heard you talking with Mavis… you can't blame me because I can't help it."

"Oh… thank you.. but I'm fine… I should get going now. See you later."

Lucy began walking away and Laxus just followed her. She turned around quickly and glared at his face. He looked away to his right with an annoyed face.

"Laxus.. go back.. I don't need your help.. so stop following me"

"Tch.." Laxus glared back at her. "You think I would let you go by yourself. Heck no."

"I'll be fine! I'm stronger now and I have my celestial friends.."

"Nope" Laxus walked up to her and put his muscular arm around her shoulder. "You're stuck with me. I'm not leaving and you can't make me"

Lucy blushed madly…. Why was Laxus being so protective lately… gosh he was such a flirt.. and she realized why she had gotten mad at him… He. Was. A . Player.

Laxus noticed her change in mood.. blushing mad.. and then annoyed another.. sheesh this girl has mood swings..

She brushed his arm off her shoulder. "Well I can leave you just fine. Why don't you go back and spend some time with your ladies."

Before she could walk away he grabbed hold of her shoulders with both hands and pushed her to face him… face to face… He was hurt… mad… frustrated… she looked at him with shocked eyes…

"I'm not letting you out of my sight… and if you dare run from me.. I will hunt you down and you will regret it…" He growled

He forcefully brought her into a hug… and held on tightly….

"Don't…."

Lucy was enjoying the warmth… his warm chest… his warm arms around her… he made her feel safe…. And at least during the hugs… loved…

"Don't what..." she said softly…

"Don't you dare leave me..."

Lucy's eyes went wide… he… he cared for her… he really cared for her… her heart began to ache… what could she do now…. He wasn't supposed to love her.. he wasn't supposed to fall for her.. as much as she wanted to be loved by Natsu.. or Laxus.. or anyone…. She knew it was selfish of her… she felt terrible….

She quickly grabbed hugged Laxus… gripping on to his back… tightly…. This caused him to freeze… her hug.. it was so desperate… she was clinging onto him… as if her life depended on it….

"I'm sorry….. I'm sorryyy…."

"Stop.. I should be the one to apologize….. I shouldn't have brought up that comment with the other girls…. I screwed up… I'm sorry…. And….. you asked me to be beside you… to support you… well I'm doing that now.. so don't ask me to leave."

"… okay."

He gently released her.. but she held on.. burying her face into his chest… he chuckled inwardly….

"Come on… We have a long ways to go… I don't want you to get sick in the snow."

She gently released Laxus from her arms.. and the minute she let go.. Laxus swirled her around and tipped her forward to fall…. Onto his back..

He quickly grabbed a hold of her and stood up. Lucy blinked..blinked… "Wha… Laxus! Put me down!"

Laxus began walking and laughed out loud.. "Nope"

"Laxus! I can walk! Let me down!" Lucy squirmed..

"Oiy… stop squirming around… If you don't stop.. I'm going to punish you."

"No! let me down!"

Laxus squeezed a butt cheek with his fingers.

"EEEEEEEPPPP!"

"I told you to stop… So quit it."

Lucy stopped moving… she couldn't decide whether or not she should feel angry and violated… or happy that HE… handsome Laxus… just pinched her butt.. and she kind of liked it…

Considering how they just resolved a fight.. and didn't want to start another one… she gently put her arms around his neck… and rested her head on his shoulder.. breathing softly into his neck…. It caused Laxus to blush… of course Lucy didn't see from behind..

"Why don't you sleep… I'll wake you up when we get to the next town."

"Okay…"

His back was so warm.. she gave Laxus a quick gentle squeeze before she fell into a deep sleep… the day had been a tiring one…

Laxus walked through the snow.. his chest warm and his cheeks glowing… He wished he could hold her like this everyday….

* * *

Mavis stepped into the secret underground room… she stood before the closed doors… and it began to open slowly…

A bright light radiated from the room….

.

Lumen Histoire….

.

She walked in…. and the door closed behind her.

She drew closer and put her hand on it…..

.

"Lumeroy…. I'm sorry it has been a long time… I hope you'll forgive me"

.

.

.

.

.

.

a glowing dragon lacrima…

.

.

.

.

.

.

in the center… was the fairy tail crest.

.

.

.

She smiled a she gazed upon the crest inside the lacrima…

.

"You were my inspiration for my guild… that my children would become like fairies.. a light to the world.."

"Your crest became our symbol…. And it has come to unite us as a family… I hope I have made you proud... to see my heart having been passed down the generations..."

"everyday… it reminds me of my promise to you…."

.

.

.

"The time is almost near… Fairy Tail will defeat Acnologia…. Zeref… Please send us your strength… your guidance… watch over my children…"

.

.

.

She let her hand drop.. and walked towards the exit… the door opened and she slowly walked out of the room…

The dragon lacrima began to pulse slightly…. But it went unnoticed by Mavis as the large doors closed shut…


	32. Fairy Visitors

**Please leave me a comment~! Your comments motivate me to write faster! I really thank you all for your wonderful comments and all your support. Truly I thank you.**

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The man and woman.. cloaked arrived in front of the large doors…. They looked at one another.. he put a hand on her shoulder and smirked.. she smiled back…

The doors opened wide.. and everyone inside the building looked towards the two cloaked strangers….

Rogue, Rufus, and Orga were sitting at separate tables… they all eyed the strangers…

The two walked in and the guild doors closed shut.. keeping the cold and snow out of the warm guild hall…

A man from the guild.. walked towards them… "Who are you two and why are you here?"

The two raised their hands and let their hoods fall… and there stood… Lucy and Laxus….

"Fairies…." Sting said with surprise.

From a distance… "Lucy-san…?"

Lucy looked towards Yukino.. who was walking slowly towards her… "Yukino!" Lucy had tears in her eyes.. "It's been a long time…"

Yukino ran towards Lucy and jumped into her arms… "LUCY!"

Lucy was shocked… but she softened.. and she hugged Yukino back warmly…

Yukino was crying.. "I thought… I heard you died… You're really here? You're alive!"

Sting… Lector and Fro.. looked with confused faces at the two hugging girls… Rogue… Rufus and Orga however… were staring at Laxus… what were they doing here….

"I'm really here Yukino… I'm okay." Lucy smiled. The girls let each other go.. and looked at each other's faces… smiling..

.

"Oiy Blondie." Sting spoke, ruining their happy reunion.

.

Lucy and Yukino looked at Sting.. who was standing with attitude.. one hand on his hips and the other dropped at his side… Lucy glared at him... how dare he called her Blondie... HE WAS BLONDE TOO!..

"If you are here… where's Natsu-san? And How'd you even find us?"

"Natsu isn't here." Laxus spoke sternly, causing Sting to raise an eyebrow at Laxus' hint of anger.

Rogue walked up to Lucy and Laxus.. "I apologize for Sting's rude behavior. Welcome.. Lucy Heartfilia and Laxus Dreyar of Fairy Tail.. to Sabertooth."

"Thank you Rogue" Lucy said smiling. "And I apologize for our sudden visit… but we have a urgent request… for your guild."

"Ha. Fairies needing our help." Sting smirked. "I'm not surprised…"

Lucy gave Sting a 'oh please' look. Sting smirked at her boldness and attitude. She had definitely changed since the last time they met… she was definitely stronger.. he could sense that she had grown in strength immensely.. and it was definitely interesting how she had come back from the dead…

Everyone in the major guilds heard of Lucy's death.. she was Lucy Heartfilia… the key celestial mage to the Eclipse Gates incident … and yet she was here.. alive and well... Sting was definitely interested in her now… and curious as to why her beloved partner.. Natsu-san.. was not with her…

Laxus took note of how Sting was eyeing Lucy… he clenched his fists and death glared at Sting.. Sting noticed Laxus' gaze and threat… he folded his arms at his chest and smirked at the possessive lightning dragon slayer…

"And what is this request?" Rufus said as he walked up to Lucy. He bowed and Lucy curtsied. This caused Rufus to raise an eyebrow at her… he had not expected her to be so… proper.. and she was smiling back at him..

Knowing full well that she had surprised him… Lucy laughed inwardly.. she was a Heartfilia. She knew when to be proper and how to respect a gentleman.

He smiled warmly and walked up to her.. extending out a hand… "Miss Heartfilia"

She put her hand gently on his.. and he kissed her hand gently. "Rufus Lore… of Sabertooth"

Everyone in the guild stared wide-eyed and mouth agape at the very NICE Rufus and Lucy's exchange… no one… no one anticipated Rufus to be so gentlemanly with… a Fairy….

Laxus was fully annoyed now… was everyone going to eye Lucy!? His patience was wearing very thin.

Lucy noticed Laxus' annoyance and she was confused why…

"I remember you Rufus. You have a very unique magic ability… something to do with memories."

"Ah. Yes. I use Memory-make magic."

"Yes yes. We are all sooo impressed by your magic. Whatever." Sting said looking annoyed.

Rufus glared at Sting. "At least its better than yours. You're just an overgrown firefly."

Laughter rang throughout the guild as Laxus could not and would not hold back. Lucy was giggling softly as well.. it didn't help that Yukino was holding a laughter back too.

Stings face turned red and he was about to punch Rufus when Rogue…

"Enough….. Lucy-san…" Rogue looked upon her face.. emotionless…

Lucy looked up at Rogue… her face went from smiling… to a face of… sorrow…

"War is upon us…"

Everyone stopped talking… it was silent… it was as if everyone had held their breaths…

"What do you mean war?" Sting said with a serious face.

"A war… for us humans… to make a stand… to prove our right to exist on Earth." Lucy closed her eyes…

.

"against Zeref…."

.

Everyone's eyes went wide….. gaping mouths everywhere….

Zeref… everyone knew of Zeref…

She opened her eyes…. "We will make our last stand… It is almost time… This battle has been long decided… before you both were even born…" Lucy said as she looked at Sting and Rogue..

"Why… both?... you mean us?" Sting said as he looked between Lucy and Rogue…

"Your parents…. Weissologia.. and Skiadrum… on July 7 X777… Do you know what they did?"

The two dragon slayers froze at the mention of their dragons… how did she know about them… and what was that mysterious date about?

"No. Are we supposed to?" Rogue said calmly.

Lucy took a deep breath..

"There were dragons who did not believe they should coexist in harmony with humans… while there were dragons who believed they should… like your parents…"

The two twin dragon slayers were frozen…

"Acnologia… the Dragon King… grew tired of the peaceful times… and so he attacked.. Igneel.. the Fire Dragon King… with this… the dragons in hiding came out… and an all out war began.. On July 7 X777…. The dragons of Earthland engaged in a final battle…."

"And how would you know of this?" Sting interrupted…

.

"Because…. My mother was there."

.

Laxus shot his eyes towards Lucy.. wide-eyed….

"Igneel…. Had anticipated that Acnologia would become restless… and an war would soon erupt… he knew he had one chance.. to destroy Acnologia… once he was eliminated… he knew he would have to face Zeref…"

"My mother Layla Heartfilia… helped Igneel and his friends defeat the opposing dragons… she gave her life…. To help fight… alongside your parents."

The two twin dragon slayers were speechless…

"But… Acnologia is still alive…" Sting spoke with unbelief.

"Yes… they failed to kill Acnologia…. the other dragons were defeated… but Acnologia… still lives.. " Lucy looked into Sting's eyes.. "That is why… we need your help… but more importantly… HE is coming…. He is coming for all of us.." Lucy said with fear in her voice.

"Acnologia?" Yukino said softly…

"No… Zeref…"

.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA" Sting laughed aloud… Lucy and Laxus stared at him with a serious gaze..

.

Sting looked at Lucy with a grin.. "You honestly think we will believe that Zeref… is alive.. and that there will be a war soon?"

His grin disappeared and he gave a murderous look at Lucy… "Don't make me laugh. You don't know anything about Weisselogia.. or anything about the twin dragon slayers.. You fairies are just running around asking for help… to fight a battle that we don't have anything to do with…"

"Sting.. I'm telling the truth!" Lucy yelled

"Shut up. I don't want to hear your lies…. I've heard about Tenroujima and Acnologia… you guys pissed him off… its your fight.. Sabertooth will not get involved"

Laxus took a step forward towards Sting and Orga walked up between him and Sting. The two lightning mages stared at each other. Orga smirks…

"Last time… we got interrupted… how about we have a rematch…"

Laxus death glared Orga… "I am not here to fight… but if you insist… I will crush you…"

The two lightning mages began to pressurize their magic… sparks began to emit from their bodies… People began backing away from the two mages…

"Laxus…" Lucy said softly…. As she looked up at his face…

He could tell he was in trouble… and he would definitely regret starting a fight… he slowly looked at Lucy.. and she had her arms folded under her breasts… accentuating them…. And she had an annoyed look on her face…

Sighing… Laxus relaxed and his sparks died down… Orga on the other hand laughed heartily…

"Seems like the little girl has you wrapped around her fingers." Orga smirked mischieviously.

Laxus snapped his eyes towards Orga with a death glare….

Sting and Rogue watched Laxus and Lucy with surprise… they had raised eyebrows.. they couldn't help but wonder… had something gotten between Lucy and Natsu... They knew Natsu and Lucy were close… but where was he now? What was she with Laxus Dreyar?..

The both of them couldn't help… but consider… who was this Lucy Heartfilia.. that had stolen both Natsu and Laxus' hearts… something was drawing these dragon slayers to her..

"Orga…." Yukino said softly. She pleaded with her eyes.. that Orga stop instigating a fight with their guests…

.

"Orga is it…" Lucy said with her eyes hidden… Orga looked at the blonde celestial mage.

.

"I would like it if you would please stop annoying my partner… I may have this calm visage right now… but let me warn you.." Lucy glared at Orga…

She pressurized her own magic… and her body began to glow a yellow light… traces of her very serious and angry looking celestial spirits standing beside her could be seen… Everyone stared wide-eyed… no celestial mage had ever before been able to summon their spirits to the extent that she did.. Even Yukino… Yukino stared wide-eyed at Lucy… she marveled at how strong she had become…

.

"I am very much at my limit of patience…." Lucy looked at Sting. "You are the master of Sabertooth… It's your decision… Will Sabertooth join Fairytail and the rest of the guilds… to fight for our future…. Yes… You heard me right…"

.

Lucy looked around the whole guild… at the faces of the Sabertooth members… "Lamia Scale… Blue Pegasus... Quatro Cerberus… even Crime Sorciere will join in the fight… I wouldn't be surprised if Mermaid Heel has joined as well… "

She returned her gaze to Rogue.. then Sting… "Will Sabertooth fight… or will you watch from the sidelines….. like cowards."

At this Sting and Rogue began to emit their own magic… glowing white and black….

Orga relaxed himself and watched the twin dragon slayers stare down the brave celestial mage… the two dragon slayers had a smile… he himself was very impressed at how bold this girl was… walking into Sabertooth and taunting them…

Sting was pumped… he had never imagined Lucy to have gotten this strong… here she was… emitting such pressurized magic power… he wanted to fight her… he could sense Rogue's excitement as well… What has this girl been up to…..

"That's enough." Laxus said as he put his hand on top of her head. It acted as an off button and Lucy reverted back to her calm self. The yellow lights disappeared and she blinked several times.

"Come on Lucy. We tried. No need to waste time here." Laxus said annoyed. Honestly.. he was surprised that Lucy had taunted Sabertooth the way she had. He knew that they needed Sabertooth in this war… specifically their dragon slayers…. but this girl… she had guts… It made him laugh inside. And proud… he chose well…

Lucy looked up at Laxus with surprised eyes.. he had just called her by her own name..

Sting and Rogue… seeing her fighting spirit dissipated.. were annoyed… they weren't going to let this down… they weren't dragon slayers for nothing.. they lunged forward at Lucy…

.

A bright light began to shine around her wrists…

POW! POW!

.

Sting and Rogue were on the floor…. Pinned down… both by… Lucy?!

Two Lucy's were crouching over them… a key pressed against their necks… her golden hair was flowing down around their heads…

With a soft voice.. slightly sultry.. "You didn't think that I wouldn't be able to handle you two.. did you?... We have FOUR dragon slayers in our guild… and I have to deal with them everyday…. but you know…" she said looking into their eyes… their wide-eyes…

"Gajeel…" Lucy said to Rogue..  
"Natsu…" Celestial Lucy said to Sting..

Both said…. "I can sweep the floor with them… and if I could do that… the possibilities of what I could do to you…"

Sting and Rogue gulped… this Lucy… she was….

Laxus walked over to the two girls.. and lifted them up with one hand each over his shoulders…

"LAXXUSS!" both girls squealed.

The two Lucy's squirmed around on his shoulders.. causing Laxus to be super annoyed.. he had just watched Lucy crouch over the two dragon slayers… knees on each side of their bodies… that made every man in the guild watch with gaped mouths… at the scene.. almost on the verge of… having bleeding noses… her cloak had leaned off to the side of her body.. revealing Lucy attire…

Skin tight pants…. And shirt.. that hugged her curvy body well…

He had enough of these men ogling their eyes all over Lucy.. she was going to be HIS…

Having had enough of her squirming… he slapped both butts with his hands… as he continued walking.

Lucy froze… and she turned red… she remained silent… it was so embarrassing… Gemini Lucy however… gave a mischievous smirk… towards the two dragon slayers watching them leave… she winked at them and blew a kiss… Lucy watched in horror at her celestial twin..

Sting and Rogue leaned up on their elbows.. watching the two identical girls being carried away by Laxus… speechless… blushing mad...

"She's… dangerous…." Rogue spoke softly…  
"Yea….. She's one crazy girl…" Sting whispered…

.

Laxus smirked… "and she's mine…" Laxus growled softly…

.

The twin dragon slayers heard… they narrowed their eyes… Sting smirked… Rogue glared… as Laxus kicked the doors open…

"Bye Lucy-san! I hope we meet again soon!" Yukino yelled… she watched as the guild doors closed behind them… she saw Lucy waving goodbye…. She hoped from the bottom of her heart… that what Lucy said wasn't true….. and that she would be able to see Lucy again…

Once the Fairies left… the guild was loud and in uproar… the members refused to believe in Lucy's words.. and everyone but Sting.. Rogue.. Rufus.. Orga.. and Yukino were arguing about… the silent ones… knew better…. Lucy… had not lied…

She had been telling the truth… no matter what they wanted to believe.. they could feel it… the stirrings of dark magic…. They had felt it for a while… going on their missions… the dark mages were getting stronger…

Sting sat up on the floor… he clenched his fists…. "War…. There had to be a war… right after I became guild master…."

Rogue sat up as well… eyeing Sting… he sensed a hint of Sting's fear… Rogue looked around the guild…. The laughing and smiling guild members….

"Is…. It really?..." The little exceed came up and put her paws on his arm… Rogue looked at Frosch…

"Is there really going to be a war?" Frosch had tears in her eyes… she was scared.. trembling…

Rogue picked her up and hugged her… "I don't know Frosch…."

Frosch buried her face in his chest… "Fro…. Fro's scared…."

Rogue remembered… remembered the grand magic games… how the future Rogue was evil because of Frosch's death… Rogue… was scared now… was this the event..? The event…. That Frosch had died?... he hugged her tighter…..

.

Lector walked up to Sting… "Sting-kun….haha.. it's a joke right?... fairy girl is lying…"

"I don't know Lector…" Sting said with wide eyes… fear in his eyes.. war… the idea of a war… had set in his mind…. If indeed the major guilds were allying… it was no lie… there WAS going to be a war…. He looked at Lector.. fear was evident in his face… no… he had to be strong…. Strong for Lector…

Sting recomposed himself… "Don't worry Lector. I'll protect you. War or not. I'll protect our guild." He stood up determined… Lector looked up in awe at Sting… he smiled..

.

"Rufus…" Sting said sternly…

Rufus walked up to Sting…

"I need you to find out if there really is an alliance… or gathering… amongst the guilds… find out as much information as you can."

Rufus bowed and left to prepare…

.

"I will protect my guild… Just you watch Fairy Tail….. whatever you are planning….. whatever comes our way… Sabertooth will be prepared…."

.

* * *

It was silent… Lucy was still draped over Laxus' shoulders.. Gemini had returned back to the celestial realm… and the two Fairy Tail mages were on their return journey home….

"They'll come…." Laxus spoke… breaking the ice..

"How do you know… they don't believe me…."

"I know they will.. you left quite the impression back there…"

"haha… I kicked their butts didn't I.. haha" Lucy was in a happier mood.

…

…

…

"Blondie…. How did you come to know of all that?"

…

"It was through my blackouts…"

…

"I remember… or I dream of bits and pieces of the past…. Seems like Igneel's magic seal was also to help me see some of his key memories… or my own…"

…

…

"I'm sorry about your mom…"

Lucy's eyes softened….

"It's okay… I'm proud to be my mom's daughter… she was so strong… she really was amazing…"

…

…

"I guess she takes after her mother…" Laxus thought.

…

…

"Laxus…"

"hm…"

"Thanks for coming with me…. For everything…"

…

"Yea. You owe me."

"What! Really?!"

"Yea. You didn't think I'd go through all that hassle of hunting you down.. and coming here with you for nothing did you." Laxus smirked.

"Psh… And here I thought you were a gentleman…" Lucy pouted with her arms crossed…

Laxus laughed.

"Definitely not a prince in shining armor." Lucy mumbled to herself.

He heard her. "Ha. And you a damsel in distress? Or a princess in need of rescuing?"

Lucy's face turned tomato red… UGH… Dragon slayers and their crazy sensitive hearing… she face-palmed herself…

Laxus laughed out loud… carrying a very embarrassed Lucy on his shoulders… sloshing through the snow.. towards Magnolia.


	33. It Begins

**Please leave me a review~! It helps me write faster :) And urges me to think of new ways to surprise you all!**

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Master Makarov was sipping on his mug as he sat on the bar top. He watched his children laugh and brawl… enjoying the moment… the calm before…

Mira had been watching the master carefully… he seemed calm and relaxed… but his eyes… his eyes gave him away…. Sorrow… they were deep with sorrow… and worry… and if master was trying so hard to keep it hidden.. something was definitely wrong…

She looked around the guild.. observing Master's direct line of sight… she caught gaze of Freed… through only their eyes.. they sent all they needed to say…

"Master is sad… something is wrong.."

"I know Mira.. I noticed too."

Gray and Natsu were fighting like old times.. but now it was Lisanna who was trying to stop the two from fighting… it was good to see something like old times… yet it was off…

Levy was with Gajeel as usual.. she was reading her book…. But couldn't help but feel something was wrong… she was a smart girl in fact… she knew Lucy had run off somewhere without anyone knowing… and Laxus was gone as well… hopefully nothing had happened to her and Laxus was keeping her safe…

Softly… "Lu-chan…"

"She's fine shrimp.."

Levy looked up at Gajeel… He was eating the iron she made with her magic…

"I just.. don't want to lose her again… What if she's hurt.. what if…"

"Shrimp. She's fine. I smell her."

Levy's eyes widened and at that moment the guild doors opened..

Two cloaked figures walked into the guild and pushed their hoods off.. Lucy and Laxus..

"Hi everyone! We're back!" Lucy smiled.

"LU-CHAN!" Levy stood up from her seat. She was excited and her look of pure joy made Gajeel chuckle. He continued to eat his iron as he watched Lucy and Laxus.

"LUCY!" Erza ran over and hugged her tightly.

"Erza…!" Lucy said wide-eyed.

"WHERE WERE YOU. HOW COULD YOU LEAVE WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE. WE WERE SO WORRIED. DID LAXUS HURT YOU."

"WHAT!" Laxus yelled with an irritated look.

Erza let Lucy loose a little to look at her face. Gray and Natsu walked over to Lucy as well.. their bangs covering their eyes…

"I'm fine Erza. I just went on a solo mission and Laxus forced himself along."

Laxus gave Lucy a glare… and she could feel him glaring without even looking.. she just kept smiling at Erza.. hoping that Laxus wouldn't get too angry.

"Lucy…." Gray said softly…

"Luce…." Natsu said softly…

"DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" They both yelled with a fist up. Having heard the other copy each other, Natsu and Gray glared at each other.

"STOP COPYING ME FLAME BRAIN!"

"WHAT! YOU'RE THE ONE COPYING ME!"

"I SAID IT FIRST"

"_I_ SAID IT FIRST YOU DEAF ABOMINABLE STRIPPER"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA" Lucy's laughter filled the guild. She was cracking up at their stupid verbal fight.

The two boys looked at Lucy with confusion. Erza looked at Lucy with a smile…

"What's so funny Luce." Natsu asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yea what's so funny" Gray asked.

"It's just… you both really haven't changed." Lucy smiled as she rubbed a tear from her eye away.

"No.. Lucy… everything is just back to what it is supposed to be.. now that you came back." Erza said in her confident voice.

Lucy looked at Erza with surprise.. her eyes softened and she smiled…

"So don't you ever go off on your own again. If you are.. let us know.. we are still a team.. no matter how long time passes.." Erza said smiling.

Gray and Natsu smiled..

"Okay. I'm sorry.. I won't do it again..." Lucy said smiling.

"Good. And I thank you Laxus. For watching over Lucy." Erza spoke as she turned her gaze to a bored looking Laxus.

"Yea.. she causes just as much problems as any of you.." Laxus said with his arms crossed.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean! I'm not a destructive person like Natsu or a stripper like Gray!" Lucy said with a cute angry face at Laxus.

"HEY!" Gray and Natsu yelled. Everyone in the guild laughed aloud.

He saw her face and laughed aloud. "Ha. You might not be destructive.. but you still create problems nonetheless. You're just as eager to fight now anyways"

"Lucy… starting fights?" Erza said with raised eyebrows.

"WHAT! WITH WHO!" Gray yelled.

"WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO FIGHT LUCY! ARE THEY BOTHERING YOU? I SHOULD BEAT THEM UP TO A PULP!" Natsu said fired up.

Lucy paled… Laxus was creating so much stress in her life…

"No no! I'm not! I'm not trying to fight anyone…" Lucy said with a sweat drop down her temples.

"Then? Was it on your mission? What was it anyway?" Gray asked.

"uhm…" Lucy panicked… no one knew about the war yet… she didn't want the guild to panic…

"She was a messenger for me." A man yelled from behind Gray and Natsu.

Everyone looked towards….. Master Makarov.

"Master?" Erza spoke. Usually Master would send an S-class mage for serious situations.. or urgent situations.. this was new.

"Sorry Erza… It was a simple solo messenger mission… I had Lucy go and Laxus decided to accompany her… I'm surprised Laxus.. you're turning out to be quite the gentleman to Lucy"

Laxus turned red… and he coughed annoyed… Lucy blushed as well…

Lucy walked past Erza… Natsu and Gray… towards the Master.. Laxus followed after.

"My child…" Master said with guilty eyes. Mira noticed and it worried her deeply.

Lucy noticed as well. So with soft warm eyes and smile, she spoke "Master.. I have returned."

He smiled.. "Good. How was your mission."

Lucy looked down.. "I'm sorry Master.. I failed… but I did relay the message."

"Hm…. It's okay.. I figured that much.. I thank you for coming back safely."

.

.

I thank you…. For coming back…. Safely…

.

.

Lucy knew the meaning of those words.. He knew.. but how?

She looked at him with guilt.. She didn't want to hurt her family again.. she had hurt them so much.. so many times.. she didn't want to leave them in mourning again..

"Master.."

"There's no need Lucy."

He looked at her with warm eyes.. that said all he needed to say.. all she needed to feel.

We will always love you.. your family will always be here for you… we are strong.. do not be bogged down with guilt..

"It's okay jiji. They'll come. Blondie here made a good point and they'll be stupid not to." Laxus said sternly.

Master Makarov looked at Laxus with stern eyes… unbetraying the surprise he felt.. He thought Lucy would have at least told Laxus… considering Laxus' budding romance for her. But obviously.. Laxus didn't have a clue….. he would be heartbroken…

It broke his heart… another young couple would be torn away from each other once again….. quite an unfortunate series of events…

"Master.. is there something you need to tell us?" Mira asked with concern in her voice. She had had enough. There was something definitely wrong and she wanted to find out NOW.

"Later Mirajane…. Not now… I will tell you everything" Master said smiling.

"Yes Master." Mira complied. His smile… was a heartbroken smile..

Everyone was watching the odd interaction between Lucy and the Master.. Master Makarov was sure acting odd lately… he was quiet and didn't yell as often… he watched brawls happen before him and just watched smiling…

They had noticed the other masters as well… they were more like Master Makarov too yet at the same time.. more.. gloomy…

At that moment… the guild doors slammed open and a gasping Jet and Droy ran into the guild..

Everyone turned their gaze towards the two…

"THE MAGIC COUNCIL HAS BEEN DESTROYED!" Jet yelled

Frozen.. everyone was frozen…

"What?" Erza spoke with unbelief.

"The Magic Council… they were attacked… they were all killed!" Droy said shakily.

Master Makarov was wide-eyed.. mouth agape… it was too soon.. so soon…

Laxus stared wide-eyed at Jet and Droy.. the magic council?.. destroyed?... he turned his gaze towards Lucy… she was in shock… is it?

"It has begun…" Mavis spoke gravely.. with a serious glare… she looked towards Lucy.. with apologetic eyes…

Laxus looked up towards Mavis, who was sitting on the second floor railing. He noticed her gaze, the sad gaze, was at Lucy and he return his line of sight to Lucy. Dread filled him…

Lucy was watching Mavis but she herself was shaking.. trembling terribly… unmasked fear in her eyes…

She knew she was being watched.. she tried to stop being afraid.. stop letting the fear take over her.. but she couldn't stop..

* * *

Sting was pacing in his guild.. he knew Rufus was sent couple days ago.. but he needed to know now. To prepare if he had to..

The guild doors opened and he shot his eyes towards the entrance. A serious looking Rufus walked in..

His eyes were wide.. something was wrong..

"Master Sting.." Rufus said sternly…

"What have you found Rufus" Sting said seriously.

Sabertooth guild members were quiet now. They needed to hear for themselves.. that the Fairy had lied.

"The other guilds are preparing for something. And they have indeed formed an alliance with Fairy Tail."

Sting's eyes widened…

"But that's not all.."

.

.

"The magic council… has been destroyed."

.

.

"WHHATTT!" the guild went in uproar.

"QUIET!" Sting yelled. Rogue walked up towards them.. so did Fro and Lector.

After seeing everyone calm down… Sting asked in an angry tone "By who…"

Rufus looked at Sting with despair written in his eyes.. causing all those who saw his gaze begin to dread what was going to be told..

.

.

.

"Zeref…"

.

.

Everyone froze… Sting took a step back… speechless…

Rogue stood frozen… gazing at the ground… dread overwhelmed him.. he looked at Frosch… Frosch who was trembling and holding onto his leg…. Tears in her eyes..

Anger built up inside him…. Anger to protect his guild… yet fear that alone he would not be able to… he thought of Lucy… Sting closed his eyes… took a few breaths… everyone watched their master…

He stood up straight.. clenching his fists.. he opened his eyes.. and they narrowed…

With a loud and crisp voice... "Prepare.. for war.."


	34. The Arrival

**Hi Everyone! Sorry for the late post! I know I know! I've been slacking.. but I got a new fridge today! yay! I don't think I can upload every day now.. been busy getting stuff done in my life.. but i haven't forgotten! I already know how I want to end this story... its just the part of how to get there that's got me... I'm working on it!**

**Thank you for your lovely comments. They really do mean a lot to me. So please let me a comment! It really does motivate me to write faster... and longer...**

**As my apology for the lack of posts this week.. I post an extra long chapter! enjoy!**

**I have finally answered the question. I hope its clear now. Although i thought it was clear earlier in the chapter with Mavis in the Lumen Histoire. **

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail!**

* * *

"Fairy Tail will always be there to stop you. We will be a light to the world you plunge into darkness…." Echoed through his mind..

He walked through the rubble. Everything around him had withered and died. His magic strength had restored bit by bit since the Tenroujima incident. Purehito had been the catalyst and now he was on an irreversible path. He felt the darkness, evil in human hearts more and more through time.. rending himself unable to and unwilling to constrain himself any longer.

He narrowed his eyes. "The value of life has faded… how light… the weight of a human life.."

At his feet, were the very members of the magic council.. eyes white and rolled back.. mouth agape with blood streaming down to their chins.. blood everywhere.

"Watch. Watch with your very eyes the annihilation of humanity." He said looking towards the horizon.

"And your Fairy Tail will cease to exist…... Vermillion" Zeref said as he started walking towards…

* * *

It was silent. The air itself was so heavy.. Everyone was trying to let the master's words sink in. How could this happen. How were they supposed to survive. The strongest members didn't so much as scratch Acnologia at Tenroujima and now Zeref was coming for them all, all of humanity…?

Tears… she could see the tears in their eyes.. their fear… Gray was shivering and Natsu was clenching his fists with his bangs covering his eyes… Erza was sitting down at a table.. wide-eyed staring into space.. Levy covering her mouth with tears in her eyes.. Gajeel had his mouth slightly agape while staring at the Master's face… as if his stare was pleading to Master to stop joking and hoping to see any sign… ANY SIGN.. that this was not happening..

Mira was covering her mouth while crying as well.. Lisanna was covering her ears.. she couldn't believe what she was hearing.. tears rolling down her cheeks.. Elfman standing by his sisters.. frozen..

The exceeds were sitting at a table together..frozen as well.. happy and Carla in tears… Lily with his mouth agape.. all three shivering together…

Cana stopped drinking.. she put her barrel down and was shivering.. Gildarts was next to her and he put a hand on her shoulder.. she wearily looked up into his face.. he himself had the most serious face she had even seen..

Laxus stood facing her.. with a worried serious face.. this was really happening.. the magic council had been _annihilated.._ the danger was real.. and it was coming fast.

_Their lives were never going to be the same._

Lucy could see them all.. she felt their fear.. their despair.. she knew what they were all going through.. at first.. she had felt fear.. fear of leaving her family again… seeing them being hurt.. but as the truth was revealed and she saw their reaction.. and her fear was overcome.. with a fire.. a passion.. a need to protect them.. to do whatever she could so that they…

..could live..

"Minna…." Lucy took a step forward..

All eyes shifted towards her.. Lucy standing near the staircase..

"Don't let your fears control you.. I'm not saying don't be afraid. No.. Every one of should be afraid.."

Bisca and Alzack hugged their daughter Asuka.. who was looking at her parents with a confused expression… Bisca was crying and Alzack had tears in his eyes…

"But… the minute we let our fears control us… _we lose… so please…"_

She walked towards the center of the guild…

"I want to spend more days with all of you.. I want to see Natsu and Gray fight everyday.. and be there to stop them…"

Natsu and Gray looked at each other…. And they both stood up tall..

"eat strawberry cake with Erza..."

Erza's eyes softened towards Lucy… a slight smile came onto her face..

"read books and talk about them with Levy… and push Jet and Droy away so I can spend time with her…"

The three smiled…

"haha.. maybe even tease her about Gajeel… or tease him about her…"

Gajeel turned slightly pink.. Levy blushed as well…

"I want to drink Mira's milkshakes.. everyday…" Lucy's voice began to crack.. as tears began to fall down from her chin…

Mira laughed a little as she sobbed…

"..help and see the day Cana becomes S-class.." Lucy said as she smiled…

Cana whispered.. "Lucy….." as she cried… Gildarts smiled..

"See little Asuka all grown up.. and beautiful.." Lucy said smiling towards the Connell family..

Asuka smiled widely at Lucy… making Lucy laugh..

"See Laxus become the guild master someday…" she said as she gazed into his eyes..

He was shocked and speechless… even Master Makarov widened his eyes.. Laxus and the master exchanged gazes.. they both looked away at the same time… both had a serious in-thought expression on their faces…

"There's so much to do.. so much to live for.. hope for.. fight for.. so please… don't despair… don't give up.. fight… fight for our future… fight for our guild… our _family"_

Lucy said crying… tears dropping..

….

"Of course." A familiar voice spoke.

"Yea. Who do you think we are." Another familiar voice.

Lucy looked up to the two men….

"We'll fight" Natsu said pumped up. His signature battle passionate expression on his face.

"We'll definitely get Acnologia this time." Gray said with a fist clenched in front of him.

"And we'll win." Erza said confidently as she stood up.

"We'll be smart about our tactics.. we'll be ready." Levy said as she stood of from her seat. Both hands on top of the table top.

"I'll protect you Levy!" Droy said happily

"No I'll protect Levy!" Jet yelled.

"Tch.. it'll be a fun fight.. Gihi.." a evil smirk etched on Gajeels face..

"I'll show him what a real demon is.." Mira said with a glare…

"And I as well.." Freed said softly.. his glare towards the guild doors.. as if ready for Zeref to come barging in himself..

"We're the strongest mages in all of Fiore.. We'll be sure to win!" Cana said with a swing of her barrel.

"I'll make sure to kill Acnologia this time… no matter what.." Gildarts said with a clenched fist.

"He'll never know what hit him. We'll shoot him off Earthland!" Bisca and Azlack shouted.

Lucy smiled... "I'll protect you all..." she thought to herself...

Master Makarov chuckled… they had accepted the news far better than he thought they would.. He gazed upon the smiling blonde before him… amazing.. she was just amazing… and it pained him so much…. He had heard from the first master the fate of Lucy's mother… and how the job was passed down onto her.. Fairy Tail's very own celestial mage… her speech.. her dreams to live happily on into the future with her Fairy Tail family.. it was so cruel… she deserved it so much…. She had brought everyone's fighting spirit back.. she just wanted live happily with them..

But it was impossible…

Tears ran down his cheeks…

"My poor child… how will we repay you… how will we ever be the same…"

At that moment.. the guild doors slammed open… and a group of strangers stood at the entrance.

"What is this? I didn't know Fairy Tail was just a bunch of crybabies." A man said.

All eyes shot towards the entrance… Gray's eyes widened…. Wendy stood up from her seat and a smile crept on her face.

"LYON!"

"Chelia-san!"

Lyon stood smirking with his smiling guild members… Jura, Sherry, Chelia, Yuka, Toby.. the guild master…

"Yo Gray~" Lyon said as his group split in half and moved aside.

Ooba Babasaama walked into the guild towards the center..

Master Makarov jumped off the bar.. everyone of Fairy Tail looked shocked at the sudden appearance of Lamia Scale. The two guild masters faced each other at the center.. next to Lucy..

Ooba looked at Lucy with a serious gaze… and began to look at Master Makarov again..

"Babasaama… I am glad to see you."

"Same to you Makarov. I assume you all have heard."

"Yes… we have."

"Ji-chan!" Natsu yelled. "Why is Lamia Scale here?"

Master Makarov faced his guild members… They all had eyes pleading for answers.. except for Lucy and Laxus..

"An alliance has been formed between the major legal guilds of Fiore. We will help and support each other… to fight…. We need all the help we can get to survive this war.. for humanity to survive at all."

"Oh.. you haven't told your guild members?" Ooba said with raised eyebrow.

"No.. I wanted everyone here to announce… I had a couple of my children away and needed them back.. I didn't tell them until moments before you arrived."

"oh… that explains a lot…." Sherry said.. with a sad look.

"Hmph.. Gray.. If you're going to be a crybaby.. you better stay off on the sidelines." He said with a smirk.

"What you say punk!" Gray ran up to Lyon and had a fist up at him threateningly.

"You heard me." Lyon said smiling.

"ENOUGH!" Erza landed between them and put her swords at their throats. "You heard the master. We are in dark times and are now in an alliance. I will not tolerate fights between other guild members and our own. Do you understand." Erza death glared at them.

Lyon and Gray gulped.. sweat rolling down their temples. "HAI!" They both yelled.

"Good.." Erza disarmed and walked away.

"dude… She's scary…"

"I know… don't make her angry.."

"I'm glad she's not in my guild…."

"…" Gray comically cried.

"And that goes for our own members of Fairy Tail" Mira said smiling.. then she had a dark aura seeping out from her.. "If you have the time and energy to fight one another.. I suggest you invest it in training and preparing for the future.."

everyone gulped…..

The guild masters smiled…

A loud sound was heard outside.. everyone went into high alert.. was it an attack!? They all rushed outside the guild and gazed up into the sky…

A large horselike aircraft was flying above Magnolia… it was Christine!

"MEN!" Ichiya said from the loud speaker

"Blue Pegasus!" Levy said in shock.

Four men jumped off the aircraft and landed in front of them.. striking a four man pose.. Ren.. Hibiki.. Eve.. Ichiya..

"Blue Pegasus has arrived. MEN!" Ichiya gave a smile and pointed his finger towards Erza… She paled and collapsed…

Another man jumped off the aircraft and landed in front of Ichiya.. He was a bald cross-dressing man..

Makarov walked up to him… "Welcome Bob.. it is good to have you here."

"Oh Makarov… It indeed has been a while" Bob said holding his hands in front of him. He looked up at the Fairy Tail guild building and smiled… reminiscently.

"Blue Pegasus is also in the alliance?" Natsu asked.

"Yes.. we are. Good to see you again Natsu-san" Ichiya said as the Trimens walked closer to the guild.

"Oh! Lamia Scale is already here as well!" Eve spoke smiling.

"Sherry." Ren said blushing.

"Ren!" Sherry said as she ran into his arms. "I missed you!"

The two couples began hugging and talking to each other, causing everyone to be uncomfortable by their PDA.

"Lucy-san…" Hibiki said smiling as he walked up to her.

"Hi Hibiki. It's been a long time."

"Yes it has. I'm glad to see you. I…"

"Yea I know. I'm alive and well." Lucy said smiling.

Hibiki smiled.

Laxus' eye twitched… he had a serious expression… he didn't know Lucy and Hibiki were close. And here they were.. smiling and conversing like good friends..

"Oh ho… I guess the party has already started.." A man in a pointy hat and wearing sunglasses appeared with a group of men behind him…

"Goldmine!" Bob said smiling.

"Ah so you've come" Makarov said smiling.

Babaasama was standing next to the two guild masters smiling… twirling her hand as usual.

"Bob.. Babaasama… Makarov… wow.. it's been a long time... Fairy Tail..." Goldmine said smiling.. looking up at the building as Bob had. Bob and Makarov smiled knowingly at Goldmine.

Rocker, Warcry, Jager, Nobarly, Semmes, and…. Bacchus were walking behind him.

"Willddd FOUR! HAS ARRIVED!" They shouted.

"Bacchus!" Cana shouted smiling.

"Ohh" Bacchus grinned… "Drunk girl.. you're here…"

"I'm glad you're here. Someone who can finally keep up with my drinking." Cana said smirking.

"That's my kind of Wild" Bacchus said smirking himself.

"BACCHUS!" Gildarts stormed through the crowd.. he came up to Bacchus and towered over him.. "YOU…"

Bacchus raised an eyebrow at Gildarts.

"ARE YOU THE ONE WHO DARED TO TAKE MY PRECIOUS CANA'S BIKINI TOP!" Gildarts was pressurizing his magic.. and of course everyone knew how dangerous he could be..

Bacchus sweat dropped.. he paled as he sensed Gildart's increasing magic pressure.. the fury of a protective father…

"GILDARTS!" Macao yelled.

"OH NO! SOMEONE STOP HIM!" Wakaba yelled.

"DAD!" Cana yelled fuming. "STOP IT! YOU'RE EMBARRASING ME!"

"But Cana~~!" Gildarts got distracted and quickly went to his daughter's side. "I can't have him close to you. Who knows what plans to do to you again!"

"Oiy Gildarts! You don't need to worry about him. I'll keep him in check." Elfman came up smirking.

"Elfman!" Bacchus said with his hands to his hips. "It's been a long time." He smiled.

"Yea. And I see you're still being a drunk." Elfman eyed his booze bottle.

"What can I say. I love my booze" Bacchus said lazily.

"Me too! What you say you and me have a drinking contest again!" Cana said

"Sounds wild to me." He grinned widely.

"WILD FOUR!" his guild mates yelled.

"Cana~!" Gildarts yelled shocked..

.

"Such an exciting bunch of youngsters." Bob said with a hand to his cheek.

"Yes.. it is quite a shame that they have to experience a war.." Goldmine said with a soft voice..

"They'll be fine.. they are strong.." Makarov said with a stern face..

"We better win for the sake of the world!" Babaasama said twirling her fingers.

"Let us go inside.." Makarov let out his hand pointing towards his guild doors. The crowd let the guild masters through.. and let them pass…

* * *

Magnolia's citizens popped around the corners to see why there was such a commotion at Fairy Tail more than usual.. they were amazed to see four major guilds and their masters gathering.. they were so confused and suspicious of what was going on..

The visiting guild members and Fairy Tail members mingled with one another.. getting to know each other.. Gray and Lyon glaring at each other.. a flustered Juvia between them.. Wendy and Chelia catching up on each other's lives.. Laxus and Jura conversing respectfully with each other.. Bacchus and Cana drinking merrily while a protective Gildarts watched closely for any foul play by Bacchus.. Ren and Sherry flirting.. Natsu being himself asking people to fight.. but others unwilling from Erza and Mira's threats… all in all everyone was having a good time meeting each other..

Except…

"Where is that lovely parfum! I know she's here somewhere!" Ichiya said as he tried looking between people.. weaving through the crowd to find a certain red headed mage.. fortunately for her.. she had had the time to hide herself… and had gone on the roof of the guild.. she was sweating bullets and she let out a sigh of relief.. knowing that Ichiya hadn't found her yet..

A hand went around her head and covered her mouth.. her eyes widened as she was pulled backwards.. into a stranger's chest.. she was hugged and she was going to change her armor when..

"Erza…" A familiar voice said..

She froze.. in the chest of the man…. She loved..

"It's been a while. I hope you've been well." Jellal said hugging her. He gently let her go and Erza readjusted herself so that she was gazing at his face…

He was here.. he was really here…

"J..jellal!" She said shocked. A blush came onto her face when she realized that she was just hugged by him.. and his hands were clutching onto her arms..

Jellal noticed her blush and his position.. he quickly took his hands back.. and blushed madly as well.. although she couldn't tell.. he was disguised as Mystogan.

"Why are you here? You're going to… Oh that's right… the magic council"

"mhm.. I don't have to hide anymore.." Jellal said as he pulled down his scarf.. he stared into her eyes… and smiled..

Oh how she wished he could stay and let her see him smile everyday….

Erza caught herself staring.. "um… where's Ultear and Meredy?"

"Oh… uhm.. Ultear and Meredy couldn't come… but.. they'll be watching over us" Jellal said with a sad face…

"Oh… okay…" Erza said noticing his depressed expression… did Jellal have a relationship with Ultear? Did something happen? She became more depressed having thought that Jellal might have a romantic relationship with another woman.. she looked away..

"Erza… I'm not going away… I'm going to protect you… and make sure we win.."

She shot her eyes towards Jellal.. his eyes were pleading her…

"I have so many things to say to you.. so many things I need to repay you for… be forgiven for… so many things to show you…" Jellal… inched forward to Erza…

Her eyes widened… was Jellal confessing…? Her heart was pounding.. she felt like her heart was beating so loud.. he could hear it for sure..

He was so close… her eyes closed shut… and then Jellal stopped… guilt overwhelmed him.. as much as he wanted to be with Erza… his guilt held him back.. he had no right.. to be with her..

Erza opened her eyes.. and saw Jellal pulling back.. she panicked.. had she done something wrong… her chance was slipping away!… she quickly grabbed his face gently and pushed his face closer to her… causing his face to get pinched and making his lips pucker out… like fish lips..

She closed in and she kissed him.. Jellal's eyes were wide open in shock… her eyes.. were closed shut… allowing herself to enjoy the bliss…

After a few seconds.. she opened her eyes.. and noticed his fish face that she was kissing… she quickly let him go and pulled back.. blushing mad… him looking at her with complete shock…

She panicked again.. "oh no… what did I do!? Did I just do that! Did I really just do that?!"

Not knowing what to do.. but wanting to run away.. she began to twist her body so that she could run away but his strong hands grabbed her before she could get away.. and pinned her down to the roof. He crouched over her…

Blink… Blink…. Erza's face tomato red…

Jellal crashed his lips onto hers again… this time… he made sure to enjoy the kiss himself… and with the passionate kiss… it left Erza like jelly..

Both were speechless…. Not knowing what to do next… but then Jellal let his body drop on top of hers.. and hugged her tightly… Erza gazing up into the sky… white puffy clouds were going by.. it was truly a beautiful day… She smiled… she wove her right hand's fingers in his hair… and her left hand traveled down his back to give him a hug..

Their hugs said everything they needed to say… 'stay alive.. fight for our future… stay with me… I will.'

* * *

She followed Mavis quietly.. they descended down.. below the guild… and arrived at a lit chamber..

"Only Fairy Tail guild masters have been allowed in here.. and showed what you'll be shown.."

"I understand.."

"Then you must understand.. that you are the only exception because you can answer my question.." Mavis said smiling facing Lucy.

Lucy looked at Mavis.. and gave an understanding smile…

"Do fairies have tails?..."

.

.

.

.

"Yes..."

.

.

.

.

"..because fairies are originally dragons themselves…"

.

"Correct.." Mavis said with a smile… her eyes sparkling…

* * *

**muhahahaha!**


	35. Secret Touch

**Thank you for your lovely comments. I'm so happy that all of you get so excited as much as I do when I think of new chapters. I really do have "OMG That is a perfect story line!" moments. **

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**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Correct.." Mavis said with a smile.. her eyes sparkling.

She lifted her arm and swished to the side.. huge doors began to open before them.. rays of bright light were leaking out from the room.

Lucy's eyes widened…

"This.. is the true nature of Fairy Tail.."

Lucy took a step back… the magic aura coming from the room.. it was making the air heavy… she noticed that it was getting harder to breathe…

There it was… the dragon lacrima.. and it was bigger than Lucy had ever imagined.. it was just as tall as Laxus.. and it was beautiful… the crystals were emitting off such a warm light… and at the center of the lacrima itself… the Fairy Tail crest… the mark of the dragon Lumeroy..

Then it hit her..

"First Master… the others can.."

"It's okay. They won't notice. There has been a magical barrier put upon this chamber to prevent the Lumen Histoire from being discovered. And plus.. even if small traces were to go out.." She smiled towards Lucy.. "Everyone's probably too busy to notice"

"ah… yea… " Lucy said struggling to maintain a steady breathing pattern… "I guess you're right…."

"Lucy…" Mavis said looking towards the Lumen Histoire.

"Yes..?" She said returning her gaze into the bright room as well..

"When the war begins…"

Lucy looked at Mavis wearily…

"You must stay here."

The celestial mage froze… "Whaa… Why…. Why would…"

"You must stay here." Mavis said looking at Lucy with a stern face..

"NO!" Lucy said with a horrified face.. Mavis continued to look at her with her stern expression…

"NO! I'm going to fight! I'm going to fight with everyone and I'm going to protect them… We're going to win! I.."

"I never said you weren't going to fight."

Lucy was confused… "But…. How can I fight with everyone if I'm here."

Mavis looked at her with sorrow-filled eyes… "I have a plan…. But… it will require much from you… that is why I need you here.."

"I don't care if it requires my life.. as long as everyone is safe.." Lucy said with confidence. She was not going to sit back and watch her nakama die. "What is the plan.."

"Have you heard of the three ultimate spells of the universe?"

"Yes.. one is urano metria.. the other is the black hole spell my mother used.. and the last…"

"The last one…. Do you know the spell?"

"Yes…."

"Then you must know it requires a great deal of magic power."

It was becoming clearer to her…

"Yes.. And I understand now… I was going to use it from the very beginning.. although I've never actually practiced the spell.."

"Staying here will allow you to prolong the spells activation… but Lucy… you don't have to if you don't.."

"No.. I need to.. I promised my mom." Lucy said smiling… "And plus… I can help you fulfill your promise.. first master… you can finally rest.. you and I both.."

Mavis shot her eyes to a smiling Lucy… her eyes softened.. "Thank you… " Mavis teared up…

"No… thank you First Master…" Lucy said smiling… "For watching over us.. and fighting with us to the very end."

The two girls smiled at each other.

Hidden from their view.. on the staircase.. a man cloaked stood in the shadows.. he couldn't believe what he had heard…. What was being implied by their conversation.. he glanced at the taller girl.. his eyes absorbed onto her…. He straightened his posture and he looked at the wall in front of him and leaned back against the wall closest to him… he felt cold.. he felt so much grief… his heart broke for her…

* * *

The four guild masters were sitting in the master's office… they sat across from each other in a square… Macao being the previous guild master was leaning against the wall.. wondering where Gildarts and Mavis had run off to…

"Makarov… we alone can not stand up against him… I thought you recruited other guilds.."

"Yes… I have sent a message to Sabertooth.. but they are still skeptical of the situation… also Mermaid Heel but I haven't heard from them since I contacted them..."

"Ah that's because they were attacked as well." Bob said solemnly

"What?!" The other three masters yelled.

"Yes. Hibiki was able use to his archive to locate any attacks that happened during the time the Magic Council was attacked. Turns out the attack on the Magic Council acted as a mask for his attacks elsewhere….. he attacked Mermaid Heel and I'm assuming he did so thinking they were the weakest.. along with several smaller guilds.."

"What that is preposterous! On what grounds? Because they are an all woman guild?! He attacked other guilds too?" Babasaama yelled.

"You mean Zeref attacked them as well as the council?" Goldmine asked with an confused look.

"No. Zeref seems to have sent monsters to attack them. He has mistaken gravely to think that Mermaid Heel is weak. I have already sent the rest of my guild members to aid their fight and recovery."

"Hm… good thinking.. They are certainly not weak. That girl Kagura seems to be pretty strong.." Makarov said with his arms crossed..

"But that's not all Hibiki found…" Bob continued.. "previous to the attacks.. I've noticed the decreasing numbers of dark guilds…"

"Ah yes. I have noticed that as well." Goldmine said leaning back into his chair.

"That is because… Zeref… was weeding them out."

"WHAT?!" They all yelled in unison.

"I thought it was crime sorciere but Zeref?" Makarov said with wide eyes.

"My assumption is that he will be using them for his army.."

"He is not that desperate to use them as his army.. he has the ability to conjure up a monster army with his magic. It doesn't make sense at all!" Babasaama twirled her fingers.

"I agree… I'm sure he has killed them all.." Goldmine said with a low voice..

"Hm….. In any case.. that means any of your guilds are in danger.. he has already attacked Mermaid Heel.." Makarov said looking with concern at the guild masters.

"The rest of my guild members are coming here as we speak." Goldmine said with a slight hand flick upwards.

"So are mine." Babasaama said.

"Good.. we must get our members together… and prepare teams… we have no time… he will not wait any longer…" Makarov said with a darkened expression..

The guild masters got up from their seats… and went out from the office.. and were shocked to find… that their members had already grouped up…

"Hello Master.." Mira smiled as she met them on the balcony.

"Mira.. What is..?" Makarov said shocked

"I had gotten help from Hibiki of Blue Pegasus.. and we have already grouped compatible magic users into groups.. I hope you don't mind.."

"That is great thank you Mira. You have one resourceful member there Bob"

"Yes.. Yes I do.." Bob said proudly.. while smiling widely..

The six mages on the second floor looked down.. and saw the mages all bustling about…

.

Hibiki, Levy, Warren,… central command.. were already thinking of plans to protect the city and how to increase their defenses.

Freed, Erza,… the demons… were waiting patiently and calmly…. For Mira to return.

Nab, Elfman, Lisanna, Toby… beasts… were excited to find fellow animal related mage users.. and discussing their abilities..

Droy, Jager, Max, Laki… nature… were trying to see which unison raids were most effective within their group..

Macao, Romeo, Natsu… pyros… were having fun lighting their fists on fire..

Ren, Wendy, Sherria… wind/healers… were having a comfortable conversation with one another..

Eve, Gray, Lyon… snowmen… Gray and Lyon were in a glaring contest while Eve was sitting next to both of them… sweat dropping from their tension…

Juvia, warcry… weepers… Juvia was crying because she wasn't in the same group as Gray.. Warcry was weeping for her unrequited love…

Bixlow, Sherry…. Puppeteers.. Sherry was having fun playing with Bixlow's babies and he enjoying her babies having fun.

Cana, Reedus… leisurists.. Cana was drinking.. Reedus painting the various groups near by…

Evergreen, Tono, Wakaba, Ichiya….. distracters… Evergreen was annoyed.. Tono smiling… Wakaba smoking away.. and Ichiya… puffing perfume towards Wakaba's direction… to mask the smoke…

Vijeeter, Bacchus, Seemes, Rocker… martial artists.. were having a dance off.. who would've thought they liked dancing…

Bisca, Alzack, Jet, Yuka…. The defense.. were talking about the perimeters they would guard.. and the defense they could provide to the city..

Jellal, Laxus, Gajeel…Jura.… The Men.. in silence… Jura eyeing "Mystogan"… Gajeel and Laxus.. drinking their beer.. Jellal sitting still.. weary that the staring Jura would attack him…

.

The guild masters were smiling as they looked around.. they had indeed been matched up well…

Master Makarov noticed something at the corner of his and turned his gaze towards the side of the guild.. he watched Gildarts enter the main hall from the back of the guild… Gildarts looked around.. and found Makarov staring from the second floor…

His eyes widened…. Gildarts… had a pained expression… he saw Gildarts look away.. he wondered what had happened.. and why had he come from the back of the guild…

Oh…..

He searched around the crowded guild hall… searching for a certain blonde girl… and he was right.. she wasn't present… meaning she was… THERE…

Sigh…..

"Makarov… let us proceed.." Babasaama said twirling her fingers..

"Yes.." Master Makarov said.. bringing his attention back to the mass of people before him.

In a booming voice.. "Listen up you brats and guests."

Everyone looked up at him.

"Welcome.. members of Blue Pegasus…. Lamia Scale… Quatro Cerberus… to Fairy Tail.. you have all been divided into groups according to your magic abilities and compatibility… For the next few days.. we expect you all to train with your groups.. to promote teamwork within our allied guilds.. I know you may have existing teams from your own guilds.. but now more than ever.. we need to work together…"

"Also… It has come to our attention.. that Mermaid Heel has been attacked.."

"WHAT?!" the mages were bustling about.

"QUIET!" Babasaama yelled.

They all became silent.

"But help has been sent and we will be waiting for any requests for help." Goldmine said.

" And from the looks of it… Zeref is targeting the guilds specifically…" Babasaama said next. "We might be his next target.. so prepare… we have no time to waste!"

"But what if our guild is being attacked?! We aren't there to fight for our own guild!" Sherry said shakily.

"Don't worry Sherry… our guild building.. we can always rebuild again… and besides… the rest have come already." Bob said smiling.

The guild doors opened wide… and stood a mass of people… the mages of all three visiting guilds.. had arrived.. everyone cheered for their arrival.. and the guild masters were allowed a moment of relief.. they had arrived…

The guild was overflowing with people.. people sitting on top of tables.. sitting on the floor.. on the stairs.. flowing out of the guild doors..

"Let us fight together… for our future!" Makarov said loudly.

"YEA!" the shouts of all the guild members resonated and boomed throughout the guild…

* * *

A loud cheer was heard from above…. Lucy smiled as she looked up at the ceiling…

"I'll make sure we win.. I promise…."

She looked towards Mavis… and they both headed up the stairs.. back to the first floor of the guild..

* * *

It was so packed.. but luckily people were filing out… towards the training grounds behind the guild.. She got separated from Mavis because of the crowd of people… but knew she had a mission to do…

She looked around for a certain group of people…. Finding Erza with Freed and Mira… she walked up and gave Erza a good squeeze on her arm….and Mira's as well… Erza and Mira smiled as Lucy walked away smiling… both their arms… glowing faintly of a mark…

She searched around some more… finding Gray and Lyon forehead to forehead gritting their teeth… she put her hand on Gray's bare back… he relaxed and turned to see Lucy… and he smiled.. Lyon upset that Gray just ignored him… by the time the two started up again.. the mark Lucy was covering with her hand.. disappeared… she small talked with Eve and left…

Finding Wendy with Sherria… Lucy gently put her hand on Wendy's shoulder… smiling and walking away…. Wendy smiled and shrugged it off.. not noticing a thing…

Natsu was having a fire contest with Romeo… almost burning the near by mages.. annoying her… so she marched up and gave him a smack on the back… his mark covered by his jacket… he stopped creating flames and by the time he turned around to see who hit him… she had woven between people to get away… and was not caught…

Luckily for her.. Gajeel and Laxus were sitting together.. but with Jellal and Jura… she gulped… she walked up carefully and in a manner to conceal her anxiety… when she got close enough.. Laxus and Gajeel quickly turned their gaze towards her.. having smelt her approach them and… her anxiety?.. she smiled and stood behind the two dragon slayers.. putting her hands on their backs.. palms against them..

"Yo blondie. Where were you?" Laxus looked at her with a confused face.

Gajeel just stared at her.

"Oh…I went to the bathroom.."

"That was a long bathroom break. You went poop didn't you? Geez bunnygirl…" Gajeel said with a uncaring manner.

"NO! GAJEEL!" Lucy turned red.

Jellal and Jura laughed. Breaking the icy mood from earlier..

"Ah.. I remember you Lucy… It has been a while." Jura said smiling.

"Yes it has.. It's good to see you again Jura." Lucy said smiling. "And you too Mystogan. I didn't know you were coming?" She said smiling.

"Yes. Master Makarov has been keeping in contact with me.." Jellal said softly but loud enough to hear

"Oh.. well I'm really glad you're here. Probably not as much as Erza though." Lucy said smirking. She gave him a wink.

Jellal blushed… and looked down at this fumbling hands.. of course his blushing face was covered by his mask… but not his abrupt change in posture.. Laxus and Gajeel gave each other a confused look. Jellal… Erza… what?!

"Oh…." Laxus said smirking.. "Erza has a thing for you… and you for her possibly?"

"It's.. uh… I…" Jellal turned tomato red..

"HAHAHA" Gajeel started laughing and even Jura looked amused at Jellal and starting laughing.

While the men were teasing Jellal… Lucy snuck away… and searched the for the last member…

"Lucy….." Master Makarov said..

Lucy turned around and was relieved..

"Hello Master.." Lucy said smiling.

"Are you doing okay my child?" he asked with imploring eyes.

"Yes… I am. Thank you for asking" Lucy said smiling, she put her hand out.. and put it on Master Makarov's back. "Come on master Makarov.. you need to keep the guild masters company… I'm fine so don't worry"

"But Lucy…." Master tried to get her to talk but…

"I really am fine master.. please… don't worry.. right now.. I'm going to spend as much time as I can with everyone… " she said softly…

"hm… okay.. " Master Makarov face Lucy. "You let me know.. if.. you need anything.. anything at all… do you hear?"

"Yes.. thank you" Lucy said smiling as she walked away..

He sighed as he watched her walk away.

A light mark appeared and faded from his back…

* * *

It was night.. Freed had set up runes around the perimeter of Magnolia.. and around the guild grounds… magical barriers were also set up… teams were given shifts in guarding the city.. and the visiting guild members camped out on the training fields.. some slept in the guild.. some girls had guests at Fairy Hills.. such as Wendy with Sherry and Cheria… some of the men invited guests over as well.. such as Gray with Lyon..

Lucy however was alone.. and was in her bed… under the covers… it had been the first day of history in the making… four guilds.. fighting together… hopefully more guilds to come…

She tugged the blanket over her head.. she was.. cold… she smiled as she remembered the days events.. everyone working together.. smiling and with determined faces… but then she felt… unhappy.. a hole in her chest… she imagined them smiling and having fun… without her.. that would be the end result of it all…

In the end.. they would win.. and they would all rejoice.. without her… but if it were for their happiness.. she would gladly give her life… although she wanted to live with them… experience much more of life.. get married.. have children.. see her friends do the same… knowing that if she didn't… if she chose not to make a sacrifice… no one would survive…

And that was how her emotional turmoil raged on.. from the minute she found the truth… and her mission… she fought with her inner self… day and night… every minute of the day… struggling to keep herself calm.. from crying.. from showing any weakness… to anyone.. not even Loke…

She struggled to keep her sanity…

After hours of lying on her bed… rolling around… she finally fell asleep from exhaustion…

Two bright lights appeared next to her bed… Loke and Capricorn appeared… They brought up two chairs next to her.. and sat silently…. Tears… falling from their faces….

More bright lights appeared… all her spirits.. were standing around the room… Aquarius in the bathroom tub… after scorpio had filled the bath..

Loke lifted his hand… and gently brushed her bangs to the side… he held his hand in the air above her face… hesitating to touch her face…. But instead clenched it into a fist.. and slowly brought his hand back.. shaking and white from clenching too hard…

Muffled sobs were heard…. Their hearts were shattering… it was a wonder how it couldn't be heard.. when it was causing such unbearable pain….

* * *

"It is almost time.. Igneel…." A female voice..

"Yes….. I know.."

"The celestial mage… she's found the third spell… this was not supposed to happen.. we promised Layla… I thought you said your son will protect her… she's already died once! She's going to die again!"

"….my idiot son… failed…"

"Igneel…. How will we ever face Layla…."

"I don't know.. but we must prevent her from using it…"

"She's already marked the chosen.. she's decided…"

"WHAT!... How do you know!"

"I sense my daughter is one of the chosen… and I sense.. your son is one as well…"

"NAATTSUUUU...!"


	36. Moving Out

**Thank you guys so much for your wonderful comments. I really do appreciate them. Sorry I haven't been uploading.. but I will try and finish this story up by this week or next week. So anticipate chapters to be coming out!  
**

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy! Please leave me a comment! :)  
**

* * *

_Anger built up inside him…. Anger to protect his guild… yet fear that alone he would not be able to… he thought of Lucy… Sting closed his eyes… took a few breaths… everyone watched their master…_

_He stood up straight.. clenching his fists.. he opened his eyes.. and they narrowed…_

_With a loud and crisp voice... "Prepare.. for war.."_

Sting looked at his guildmates.. their shock evident in their faces… and without any sign of a warning… the guild doors blasted open. The events that happened thereafter… were so fast… there was no way Sting or any of the Sabertooth mages could have been ready for it…

Dark magic monsters…similar but stronger to the ones made by Hades on Tenrou Island… were sprouting from the very ground… and attacked the unsuspecting guild members inside…. Fiery blasts.. roars.. screams… they fought for their lives..

He panicked.. hitting as many monsters as he could.. getting hit all over his body… fear…. Was seen in his comrades..

Rogue was holding onto Frosch with one hand and fighting off the monsters as best as he could.. and then soon the entrance of the guild was being filled with dark mages.. with odd red markings over their bodies.. like the monsters… he noticed one by one.. his friends were dying… deep dread.. if they didn't get out of the building.. they would certainly die..

"STING! WE HAVE TO ESCAPE!" Rogue yelled desperately.

Sting took a moment to stop and observe his surroundings… blood… dead guild members on the ground.. the surviving ones fighting… doing their best to survive… roars.. it was overwhelming.. blood dripping down his face… he clenched his fists and jaw shut tight…. Tears…

"STINNNNNGG!" Rogue yelled.

Helplessness… Sting.. was the guild master.. and it was his fault.. that this happened…all because of he refused to believe.. the fairy...

"SABERTOOTH! RRRRRRRUUUUUUUNNNNNNN!" Sting yelled..

The guild members that were still alive were shocked... but the roars of the monsters kept them from losing focus of their dire situation.. they evacuated the guild building as soon as they could… tears running down their faces… they had lost their home… their guild…

Sting was fighting off the monsters close to the back exit of the guild.. trying to give his members as much time to run away as possible… But Rogue stayed beside him… Lector and Frosch in the hands of Rufus.. Yukino had refused to run away… and fought aside them as well..

Once they thought everyone had gone out.. Rogue gripped onto Sting's arm… and pulled him out the exit.. Sting tried to grab onto Yukino's hands.. and she to him… but a dark cloud like wind circled around Yukino… and pulled her into the grasps of several dark mages…

Sting saw her eyes go wide.. with fear… his did the same… "YUKINOO!"

Yukino screamed… and disappeared from sight as the enemy army surrounded her.

The twin dragon slayers ran… heart racing.. panting.. tears flowing… they tried their best to understand what had just happened in the last 15 minutes.. but all they could think of was their dead guild members… all they could hear.. was the cries of men and women dying.. the roars of their enemies… and Yukino's scream….

* * *

It was two days since the magic council was destroyed.. and Fairy Tail was bustling with mages all over… all the mages were training.. getting used to fighting with one another.. learning to cooperate and build team work….

Lucy was present to partake in training.. and the preparation process… but at the same time.. she wasn't there…

Knowing full well that she could not just remove herself from fighting alongside her guild members… she summoned Gemini to act as her in her place.. her absence would cause suspicions to arise.. Especially from those closest to her..

While Gemini was up on the surface of the guild.. pretending her best to be Lucy… Lucy was down in the chamber of Lumen Histoire… training with Capricorn…

Lucy was sitting still with her legs crossed.. sweat was glistening off her body as the Lumen Histoire gave off its light blue radiance.. Capricorn watched his master.. it was an amazing sight.. Lucy was training herself to absorb the Lumen Histoire's magic in the room.. one moment she would radiate a yellow light from her body… emitting her own magic.. and in another she would radiate a blue light.. caused by the blue magic particles in the air being absorbed into her body..

"Layla-sama… I believe we have made Lucy the greatest celestial mage yet.." Capricorn thought as he smiled slightly…

A bright light appeared next to Capricorn.. and Loke appeared.

"Lucy…."

The light radiating from Lucy's body slowly faded.. and once she was back to normal.. Lucy let in a deep breath through her nose.. and exhaled slowly through her mouth… she opened her eyes.. and looked up towards Capricorn and Loke.. Capricorn was watching Loke with concerned eyes..

"Lucy.. we need to go upstairs now.."

Lucy stared at her celestial lion..

"Mermaid Heel has finally arrived.. but that's not all…. A messenger from Sabertooth has arrived as well…"

Lucy rose from the ground.. swatting the dust off her butt… she looked at Loke again… "Has Sting finally come to his senses?"

"Lucy.. Sabertooth was attacked."

Her and Capricorn's eyes went wide… "What?"

"I don't know the full details.. but the masters are interrogating the man right now.."

Lucy spun herself around.. and opened the doors to the Lumen Histoire.. she brought her hand to her keys.. and let Gemini know that she was arriving now.. Gemini filled Lucy in on the situation as Lucy ran up the stairs towards the first level of the guild… Gemini sneaked towards the back of the guild.. and met Lucy there.. and as quickly as they met.. Gemini disappeared.. letting Lucy appear as her own..

She walked into the main hall… and saw everyone listening intently to the guild masters speaking from the second floor..

"We have just received information that the King of Fiore is requesting urgent assistance at the capital… we have informed him of the threat of war.. and of Zeref.. the king himself has declared a high alert to all the cities of Fiore for our enemy… citizens are currently being evacuated to shelters and preparations for war are being made…" Bob said loudly.

"But also.. as you all know.. a messenger has arrived from Sabertooth.. We had previously outreached for their guild to join our alliance.. but they were reluctant to heed our warning of impending war and our dangerous enemy.." Master Makarov said with a low voice.. "It has come to our attention that Sabertooth has been attacked by Zeref… and have abandoned their guild location."

Everyone gasped.. and began whispering all together..

"QUIET!" Babasaama yelled with a twirling hand.

Lucy couldn't believe what she was hearing.. both Sabertooth and Mermaid Heel were attacked after the magic council was destroyed? Why? Why would Zeref attack those two guilds.. they weren't weak... Mermaid Heel was far from the council.. and also from Sabertooth… it was so random.. or was it?

"There are survivors taking refuge at the capital at the moment.. but most of their members did not survive.. We do not know who and how many survived." Goldmine said gravely.

"But we do know.. that a hostage situation has developed." Makarov said angrily. "The celestial mage…"

Lucy's eyes widened… No…

"Yukino Aguria…"

Please no… dread increasing in her stomach..

"Has been taken…"

She felt nauseas.. her world was spinning.. she prayed that this was all a dream… she felt something upset in her stomach.. she ran towards the back of the guild.. pushing through several people.. to the restrooms.. and threw up powerfully into the toilet… tears streaming from her eyes… her throat burning… heart aching…

Mavis stood in the doorway of the restroom… "Lucy…."

Lucy cried.. gripping onto the toilet…

"That's why… that's why he attacked them…"

Mavis was confused…

Lucy got to her feet.. and exited the bathroom stall.. she looked at Mavis.. with red teary eyes.. desperation on her face and in her voice…

"Kagura won Yukino's life… at the Grand Magic Games last year.. and Yukino fought as a Sabertooth member…"

"Yes.. I remember Yukino's fight with Kagura of Mermaid Heel…" Mavis said with concern.

"Zeref…. He attacked the two guilds… for HER." Lucy said crying…

Mavis' eyes widened… she began to slowly realize..

"He needed a celestial mage… I would be too obvious and difficult to obtain.. but with Yukino…. First Master… the Sabertooth guild… is located in the mountains next to the capital.."

Mavis froze… and began to tremble… her eyes wide… then she closed her eyes shut… clenched her fists.. and had a death glare when she reopened her eyes… she turned around.. and left the restroom…

Lucy was pale… she clutched her stomach.. as she began to walk slowly after Mavis… wanting to know what was going to happen now… she exited the bathroom.. and was about to collapse when warm calloused hands held her up by her arms…

She turned her head towards the man… and her eyes widened… when she saw Gildarts.. his soft concerned gaze looking back at her..

"Gildarts…"

"Yo Lucy… Easy there… You okay? You don't look so good…"

"Thank you… just.. the news… it"

"it's okay…. You don't have to explain yourself.. just yet…" he said with a smile..

Lucy's eyes widened… just yet?

"Can you walk?"

"uh.. yes…"

"Good.."

"Lucy…" a familiar voice spoke.

Lucy and Gildarts turned their gaze upon Laxus who walked through a few people to get to them.

"Good timing Laxus.." Gildarts said with a smile.

"What happened? Is everything alright?" Laxus said with a frown on a his face.

"Here" Gildarts said gently yet forcefully pushing Lucy into Laxus' arms. "Take care of her. She's pale and looks like she hasn't eaten anything all day."

"What… wait!" Lucy said as she was being transferred from Gildarts to Laxus. Gildarts walked away.

Laxus held on her and cupped her face with a hand. He pushed her to face him.. and examined her face… with a frown... "Blondie.. how are you going to fight if you can't stomach hearing reports of casualties?.. you can't let them affect you…"

Shock was in her eyes… she had forgot that dragon slayers had incredible smelling sensitivity.. and he could definitely smell her vomit… how embarrassing.. but what had gotten her the most was that he had given her.. the answer she needed…

_You can't let them affect you….._yes… so true… there was no room for distractions…. Distractions… like Laxus… like love…. She was going to leave the world soon.. and they were in the midst of a war…. She had an important job… she wasn't going to let anything or anyone stand in her way…

"Thanks Laxus. I'm feeling much better now." Lucy said pushing herself away from him. "I'm going to head over to my team now." She quickly weaved herself to the side of him but he grabbed onto her wrist.

"Lucy…" Laxus said softly..

She stopped in her tracks.. her back facing Laxus…. eyes shut closed… holding her breath… she turned around to face him and put on the most genuine smile she could at the moment…

"Sorry Laxus.. I need some time… alone.. Yukino was my friend.. I just need to be alone right now.."

He looked at her smile…. She could've fooled anyone else.. but not him… okay.. not team Natsu.. Gajeel.. Levy.. or Wendy either.. but he definitely could tell it was fake… and something pained him that she… wasn't opening up to him… that she was hiding something and was…. Pushing him away…

He let go of her wrist.. and she quickly walked away… becoming a bright light.. and disappearing from sight..

"ALRIGHT LISTEN UP!" Master Makarov yelled.

Laxus shot his eyes up at the master.. so did everyone else…he and the other fairy tail members noticed… Mavis standing next to Master Makarov.. with a unusually dark and serious face..

"We are going to the capital.. IMMEDIATELY."

"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled.

"QUIET. DO NOT INTERRUPT ME!" Master Makarov said, growing in size as his anger rose.

Everyone stopped talking. Laxus was shocked at the sudden announcement..

"We need to leave IMMEDIATELY. We have located where our enemy is and Zeref is currently located in the mountains next to the capital. We need to gather information about his army and what we will be fighting against. More information will be given when we arrive at the capital. We leave in 1 hour. DISMISSED!"

People began bustling about.. running and flying about to pack..

Laxus looked up at his grandfather… with worried eyes… "Jiji…. What are you doing… it's too soon.. we aren't ready…we'll all die…." he thought.

Master Makarov sighed heavily from the second floor… the other guild masters had grave expressions on their faces as well… after Mavis had filled Makarov in and the three other guild masters were as well… they knew.. they had no time… Zeref was moving faster than they had anticipated…

* * *

"Lucy….." Gemi and Mini said simultaneously..  
"Do your best for me… ok?" Lucy smiled warmly..

Gemi and Mini teared up…. Whimpering… and in a bright light.. they transformed into Lucy… who was also crying..

"Will we meet again?" Gemini said.  
"Of course we will. You'll be back soon enough and we'll go vacation and eat ice cream like you guys always wanted."

Gemini abruptly hugged Lucy… "We'll try our best…. So that you won't have to use that spell…"  
Lucy closed her eyes and hugged Gemini Lucy back… "Okay.. I'm counting on you"

Both smiled and let each other go.

Gemini Lucy waved as she ran off to exit the building… but once she turned the corner.. away from Lucy's sight… they cried…. Knowing fully that.. this could be the last time that they would see Lucy alive…

* * *

Soon.. the army of mages filed out in front of the guild building… ready to embark towards the capital… she could seem them from the window… as she hid herself from view behind the curtain.. making sure that no one could see her…

She watched them walk away from the guild… humanity's future in their hands… how amazing it was that four major guilds were allied together.. to fight against the same enemy… they would determine the world's future…

Then she saw them… team Natsu… Erza… Gray.. Natsu… walking away… their backs toward the guild.. and her thus her… besides Natsu.. was Lisanna… Next to Gray.. Juvia… Next to Erza… Jellal…. Gajeel next to Levy… and in the middle of them all.. was "her" with Happy flying next to her.. and Laxus, Raijinshu, Mira and Elfman walking just behind her… it was a beautiful yet heartbreaking sight… them walking away from her.. the real Lucy… it brought back the terrible memory… of Natsu and Lisanna in that cave…. Her heart wrenched…

She clutched her chest… it was so hard…

But then… "Lucy" stopped walking… she turned around and faced the guild… everyone else walked around her.. but Lucy stopped walking… Laxus and his group walked past her, eyeing her with confusion.. then as they had passed her… the group of Fairy Tail members looked back at "Lucy".. and the guild..

"Lucy"… lifted her arm… her index finger pointed up towards the sky.. and thumb outstretched to the side.. the "L"…. the real Lucy froze.. as she saw Gemini… staring right at her window.. determination in her eyes… tears running down her face.. and smiling…

Out of nowhere… Master Makarov walked up next to "Lucy"… and lifted an "L" up into the air… looking straight into the window where Lucy was as well… Lucy.. speechless… as soon… Erza… Gray… Natsu… Wendy.. and soon all of the Fairy Tail members… had their hands up.. Laxus last to put up his hand… all of them smiling… as they gazed upon their guild building.. the other visiting guild mages watched in awe… as the Fairy Tail members said goodbye to their guild…

The members had lifted their hands.. to signify their unity.. and that they would return home… Gemini.. Master Makarov.. and Gildarts.. however… knew that a certain someone.. was watching her family walk into the warzone… without her…

Slowly.. one by one.. they turned around.. and continued to walk with the army… towards the exit of the city.. keeping their hands up.. as if they were in the fantasia parade.. but this procession.. much more serious and quiet.. they marched on…

Tears were streaming from her eyes… she sobbed… as she watched them go… she lifted her own hand up… in the shape of an "L"…

"Everyone… stay alive… Even if I can't see you.. be with you there.. .I'll always be watching you… I'll protect you all…" Lucy cried… let out her sobs.. and cried as loud as she wanted..


	37. Crater

**Thank you guys so much for your wonderful comments. I really do appreciate them.  
**

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy! Please leave me a comment! :)**

* * *

Dark clouds were circling above.. thunder roared all around them… it was cold and the wind was strong… but at the center of the storm… it was calm… and there stood… Zeref…

He watched the frail white haired girl trembling in fear on the ground… her eyes were darting around… and she looked mortified at her surroundings… black aura was swirling around him.. and when he took a step towards her… she darted her eyes towards him… like a deer about to be run over…

"You are a celestial mage am I correct.." Zeref said in a caring tone.

Yukino was surprised.. he spoke with concern?.. who was this boy in front of her.. could he?

"**_I am Zeref_**." The man said with a glare..

She froze… was petrified.. there in front of her.. was the most dangerous enemy to all of mankind.

"It is fitting that you, a celestial mage, will be a key to the salvation of mankind."

"salvation?!" Yukino looked around.. angrily pointing to his massive army… "you plan to kill us all… aren't you a man yourself?.."

"yes.. SALVATION… salvation from pointless existence… throughout time I have watched man.. make the same mistakes throughout history… it is always the same… man will never learn from his mistakes… it is pointless living… and so I will save humanity from its meaningless existence on this planet… with its annihilation.."

"NO! you're wrong!" Yukino screamed with tears dropping from her chin.. "that is not salvation.. you're going to annihilate us from existence! Please.. stop believing that twisted theory…" she glared up at him. "I WILL NEVER HELP YOU…"

"Then I have no choice…" Zeref said indifferently..

A magic seal began to glow from under Yukino's body… and soon Yukino's screams were heard throughout all the mountains..

* * *

It took two days… for the allied forces to arrive at the capital… It had taken longer than anticipated.. as they were ambushed several times by Zeref's forces… And it was during the trek towards the capital.. that every mage felt and understood… that they really were in WAR.. there were several casualties.. one of the more devastating.. Mermaid Heel's guild master passed away from her injuries that she got while protecting her guild from Zeref's attack…

They had been careless.. underestimating the power of their enemy.. but they wouldn't make the same mistakes again..

The guild masters were being guarded by their best mages… Gildarts and Laxus next to Makarov.. Jura and Lyon next to Babasaama… Bachuss and Rocker next to Goldmine… Ichiya and Hibiki next to Bob.. recently appointed Kagura by Arana and Risley…

They entered the city.. and found.. the citizens panicking… packed and running out of the city.. children and babies were crying.. and royal guards were directing the people to exits and routes for their safety.

Makarov looked towards Erza.. and she nodded.. she looked back at Natsu Gray Wendy… and "Lucy"… they nodded back at her.. the team ran off to scout together for the surviving Sabertooth members…

Laxus watched wearily.. as Lucy went off with them… wanting to protect her.. Gildarts.. watched with a worried expression towards the team that left as well…

Makarov then looked towards Mira.. and she nodded as well.. her team deploying to aid the scout.. her team consisted of Gajeel.. Juvia.. Freed and Elfman….

The other guild masters deployed their own scout teams.. as the army continued onward towards the center… the King's castle…

* * *

After running around for a while.. Natsu picked up a familiar scent.. he dashed off.. with the rest of his team following him… he came to a building.. and at the opposite direction of him.. running towards the building as well.. was Gajeel.. and the rest of his team… the two ran up to the doors.. and Natsu kicked the door open… he stopped at the entrance.. looking around inside… with Gajeel coming up beside him…

Inside.. they found them… Sting Eucliffe… Rogue Cheney.. Natsu and Gajeel walked up.. towards the wounded dragon slayers..

"WENDYY!" Gajeel yelled.. as he noticed the dire conditions both Sting and Rogue were in.. his heart panged.. as he noticed.. Frosch.. unconscious in Rogues arms… Rogues eyes.. dull and staring off into the distance..

Wendy and the others ran inside the building.. and gasped as they saw the people inside building.. all Sabertooth members… wounded… with dried tears on their faces..

She noticed Gajeel with Rogue.. Natsu with Sting.. She ran up to Rogue first.. knelt on the ground.. and began to heal him…

Natsu put a hand on Sting's shoulder… Sting stared into Natsu's eyes… with dull eyes… that took Natsu by surprise.. Natsu's eyes widened… Sting… was broken.. Natsu clenched his fists… and grinded his teeth…. His face turned feral…

"ZEEERRREEEFF!"

"Lucy" stood at the doorframe.. watching frozen… as she noticed that all the sabertooth members besides Sting and Rogue.. had their eyes on her.. their pained stares.. all on her…

* * *

Back at the guild.. the real Lucy was in the chamber again.. training with Capricorn… but then she felt the distress from Gemini.. she opened her eyes and brought her right hand to her keys… Gemini's keys.. she focused and closed her eyes… she clenched her fists…

"Lucy-sama…. Is everything alright..?" Capricorn said

Lucy inhaled a deep breath.. and slowly exhaled.. she opened her eyes with a deadly glare.. not at Capricorn.. but at the dragon lacrima in front of her… she got up from her seat.. and walked up to it.. she put her hand on it..

.

"I will **_never_** forgive you… Zeref… We will destroy you.." Lucy said.. as her body began to emit off yellow light.. and light blue magic aura twirled around her…

.

Capricorn watched his master in silence…

* * *

The five guild masters stood around the bedside of Sabertooth's guild master…

"Sting…" Master Makarov said softly..  
Sting continued to stare up at the ceiling.. with his dull eyes.. Lector at his feet on the bed.. crying for his Sting-kun… and all their dead members…

"We know where Zeref is…"

Sting's eyes widened slightly..

"In a few hours.. we will attack him directly.. we cannot wait any moment longer…"

He moved his head to face Makarov…

"Sting.. Zeref attacked both your guild and Mermaid Heel.. earlier this week.. and we have reason to believe that he was looking for a certain someone… and I think you know who. "

He shot up from his bed.. and sat up.. staring into Makarov's eyes..

"He needs a celestial mage.. for a certain powerful spell… that could be a great disadvantage for us.." Bob said softly..

"In a few hours.. we will attack Zeref.. he is currently gathering his forces.. in the very mountains your guild was located.. we need as much help as we can get… so please… GET UP.. find your courage again.. lead your members… fight with us.." Goldmine said

Sting and Goldmine looked at each other.. "We will help you avenge your family.. and help you get Yukino back.. so GET UP.. you are Sabertooth's guild master..."

"YEA GET UP!" Natsu barged in.

"NATSU!" Makarov yelled with a vein sticking out of his forehead.

Natsu ran over in front of Sting's bed.. "Yo Sting.. you gonna lie here all day.. or are you going to fight.. and show the worldwhat it means to be a Sabertooth.. everyone's waiting for you… Yukino is waiting for you.." he said with his arms crossed…

Sting… clenched the bed sheets in his hands.. his eyes narrowed.. and he growled.. "Sabertooth.. will fight…. And Zeref… will feel the wrath of Sabertooth's guild master… the white dragon slayer…" White magic aura emitted from Sting's body… he noticed that he was fully healed… and he quickly got off the bed…

Makarov, Bob, Babasaama, Kagura and Goldmine.. smiled.. Natsu grinned.. They filed out of the room…

Rogue was waiting outside for Sting… they glanced at each other.. one look to let each other know… their anger.. and determination to fight.. Lector and Frosch walked beside their dragon slayers… Rogue looked down at Frosch… who look up at Rogue with a smile… Frosch was alive beside him.. and he planned to keep it that way..

.

.

Outside the castle.. the mages waited… the city had been evacuated… the king and the royal members had evacuated as well… leaving the capital… a ghost town… they could see the dark clouds above the mountains next to the capital… an ominous aura seeping out from there… they stared towards the direction of the clouds… preparing themselves.. for the long battle ahead..

The doors of the castle opened… and the guild masters walked out… the army split into two.. letting them proceed through them… Master Makarov was in front with Bob… Babasaama next to Goldmine.. and behind them… Sting next to Kagura… walked out… white magic aura seeping out from him…

The Sabertooth guild members watched their master closely… their master's fighting spirit..

Sting stopped walking in front of his group of Sabertooth members and spoke loudly… "I don't need to tell you anything… I'm sure you all feel the same as I do…. Let's show Zeref… the wrath of Sabertooth.."

His guild members clenched their fists… their fighting spirit revived… their need to avenge their dead.. their need to make Zeref pay for destroying their guild… they would show him…

Sabertooth all roared in unison..

At hearing Sabertooth's fighting roar… Kagura thought it would be good for her own guild.. to get their fighting spirits up as well.. everyone was depressed by the death of their beloved master..

"Mermaid Heel! Do your best! Survive! Avenge our master! Fight! Fight for our future!" Kagura yelled confidently.. her sword gripped in her hand.. raised up high above her.

The women all roared…

Goldmine smiled and yelled… "Quatro Ceberus!"

His guild members roared.. fists in the air.

Babasaama yelled "Lamia Scale!"

Her guild members roared louder. Fists in the air..

And last but not least… Master Makarov yelled aloud. "FAIRY TAIL!"

All the fairies roared… louder than all the other guilds… they were all pumped up.. to defeat their enemy..

The mages all began to walk with their masters in front.. united together.. they would not fight alone… they would fight together.. with friends.. to defeat Zeref.. once and for all.

* * *

In the distance… a dark creature was flying through the clouds.. towards the direction of the dark storm brewing in the mountains… the mountains were familiar…. He had been there before… he narrowed his eyes… the magic auras he was sensing from that direction… made his excitement increase… flapping his wings harder.. he increased his speed… and..

"RROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRRRRR!"

* * *

The dragon slayers stood… waiting at the top of a mountain… they were watching below… and were shocked and speechless at the sight…

A crater was lined with mountains around its edges.. and in the center of the crater… was a large dark mass that filled the crater… waving up and down… and this dark mass… was Zeref's army…. Army of dark monsters… in the center of it all… was Yukino… tied up by her arms.. to two parallel poles… her arms outstretched..

In front of her.. was ZEREF..

"Warren… you guys getting all of this?" Natsu thought.. sweat dripping from his temples..

Back at base camp.. Hibiki was using his magic ability Archive's information transfer…. Everyone of the mages were filled in.. to what the dragon slayers were seeing.. they were all speechless as well..

"yes….Natsu… we see everything…" Warren thought.

"Laxus.." Master Makarov thought.. "Do you see any points of weakness? Any route where we can attack from?"

"Jiji…. There are thousands of monsters down there… there isn't a corner we have an advantage from… best chance is to attack from above.."

But at that moment..

"RROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRRRRR!"

The dragon slayers all turned their gazes towards the direction of the sound… eyes narrowed.. fists clenched.. ready for what was coming their way…

"ACNOLOGIA…" Gajeel thought aloud in his head…gritting his teeth and growling…

"We have to attack now! Before that dragon gets here!" Babasaama yelled.

"Alright… positions ready?" Bob said.

"All teams are at their positions… ready for orders." Hibiki said as he typed away on his archive.

"On three…" Master Makarov thought to all the mages…

3.

Erza and her army… crouched about on peak of another mountain…

2.

Jura and his army… hidden in the valley of the two mountains.. ready to attack the wave of monsters…

1.

Gildarts and his army… hidden in the valley opposite of Jura's… ready to attack as well..

.

ATTACK!

.

Erza's airborne army… flew to attack the monsters from above..

Jura and Gildarts attacked from the ground with their armies..

and also from above… an aircraft.. Magic Bomber Christina descended from the clouds… and began bombing the mass of monsters.. but being careful not to bomb Yukino who was chained in the middle…

.

Zeref stood calmly.. black magic aura swirling around him in a circular motion.. watching the battle occur before him.


	38. Virtus Caelestis Corporis

**Hii! It is wrapping up! Thank you for reading and leaving me such wonderful comments! I really appreciate all the love 3 :)**

**I'm sorry.. i really don't want to be spending so much time writing about battle scenes.. that's why i rushed it and skipped a few scenes.. got tired.. and i can't think of good moves.. and think of EVERYONE that is fighting.. haha so bear with me.. just go with it that they are all fighting and doing their best to survive.. **

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.**

**Enjoy! Leave me a comment please! :)**

* * *

Lucy stood standing next to the dragon lacrima.. both hands gently on the crystals… she watched the crystal's light pulsate gently… a red light began to shine on her neck… Igneel's mark…

Her eyes widened… and narrowed…. She growled…

"Acnologia….."

* * *

The dragon slayers were standing on the windy peak of a mountain lining the crater… their eyes narrowed towards the approaching dragon..

They could hear the cries of their friends down below… could feel the blasts of magic pressure coming from their attacks..

"WATER CYCLONE!" "ICE-MAKE: ARROW BLIZZARD!" "HEAVENLY WHEEL!"

"GRAND CHARIOT!"…..

Booms were heard all over in the crater.. everyone doing their best.. to reach the center.. reach Yukino.. before it was too late..

Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, Laxus, Sting, and Rogue stood confidently.. they found strength in their friends below… they were counting on them.. to defeat what their magic was for.. defeat a dragon..

They saw Acnologia's jaw open… he was flapping his wings frantically to join in on the battle… his nose was fuming… but then..

RRRRROOOOOOARRRRRRRR!

A pillar of immense energy blasted towards Acnologia from above.. causing Acnologia to roar out in pain from the attack and plummet from the sky towards the earth..

Their eyes widened… and shot upwards… to find the source of the attack… they were shocked.. hoping that their senses were telling them right…

.

Wendy.. Gajeel.. and Natsu took a step forward… mouth agape.. wide-eyed towards the sky above them…

.

Three large airborne creatures swooped down and tackled into Acnologia before flying high above the clouds again.

Laxus stood grinning… unexpected allies had arrived..

Natsu Wendy and Gajeel slowly rebounded from their initial shock.. and they soon had relieved faces.. wide smiles… their faces were glowing with how much happiness they felt… they finally found their dragons…

.

_They were alive…_

_._

Below, the mages were wondering what was going on up there while they were fighting.. were they too late? Had Acnologia arrived.. they prayed that he hadn't…

"LAXUS! WHAT'S GOING ON UP THERE!?" Makarov thought projected as he was in Titan mode and fighting off Zeref's monsters.

"Jiji…. They've arrived." Laxus said.. "Natsu.. Wendy.. and Gajeel's dragons have arrived.."

Everyone heard.. and smiled… it was good news… very good news they needed.. soon everyone fought harder.. determined to win.. they had three dragons on their side!

Zeref stood calmly watching the mages slowly approach closer and closer to him and Yukino…

"It is futile…. You will all perish.." Zeref said softly…

He lifted his hands towards unconscious Yukino.. and she opened her eyes.. her eyes completely dull…. The chains around her wrists loosened and she was released.. she collapsed onto the floor… a dark mist came from Zeref's hand.. and quickly shot towards Yukino.. it was absorbed into her head..

After a moment.. she stood up.. and lifted both arms wide.. she looked upwards towards the sky… and muttered an incantation…

.

Master Mavis was watching from Christina.. and her eyes widened in horror….

"NOOOOOOO!"

.

All the fairies heard Mavis scream… They all shot their gazes towards Yukino… eyes widening from their realization.. that it was too late..

Laxus, Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel shot their gaze towards Yukino.. breaking away from the dragons fighting before them… Sting and Rogue noticed the fear in their eyes.. and looked towards Yukino… and their hearts sank…

"YUUKKKIIINOOOOO!" Rogue yelled.

"DON'T DOOO ITTT!" Sting yelled.. "STTTTTOPPPPPP!"

Yukino said softly…. "_**Black Hole…**_"

A large black magic seal appeared above in the sky.. directly above the crater… and everyone stopped fighting… even the monsters stopped to look above…

Acnologia was the three dragons… and Igneel, Grandine, and Metalicana looked towards the magic seal… Acnologia roared in excitement…

"No… we're too late…" Grandine said..

Soon.. the black seal began twirling… and a black hole appeared… but instead of being a suction…. It was spitting things out…

Trees and rocks were thrown out.. even huge boulders plummeted towards the Earth.. the mages did their best to dodge everything..

"Juvia!" Gray yelled as a tree trunk was coming her way..  
Juvia turned wide-eyed at the approaching tree trunk..

"Ice-make: Shield!" Gray yelled as he hugged Juvia by her waist…  
the tree trunk slammed into the ice shield and broke into two.. the halfs flying away from Gray and Juvia…

"Grr…Graay-sama!" Juvia looked at him wide-eyed..  
"You okay Juvia?" Gray looked at her with worried eyes..  
"Ye..Yes…" Juvia said shyly.. "Thank you…"  
Gray hugged Juvia tight… "Be careful… stay alive.." before he quickly let go and ran off to fight off more monsters…

Juvia stood silently… her fists clenched… "Juvia will survive… so you better survive too Gray-sama.. I will make you Juvias."

She took a fighting stance… enraged with the thought that the monsters and Zeref stood between her love for Gray… her magic began to emit her anger.. and she went crazy Juvia mode.

Erza and Jellal were slashing boulders and trees coming their way so that they were smaller… and other mages protected themselves with shields, barriers, and attacks…

Luckily.. as much as the black hole was plummeting stones and trees towards the mages.. it was doing the same to the monsters.. Except for Zeref and Yukino.. who were being protected by Zeref's magic…

Sting and Rogue watched in horror… at the scene before them… everone scrambling around… monsters also scrambling to not get hit.. but then something caught there eyes… something pointy was coming out of the black hole…. Then a monster's head… then several monsters heads…

**RRROOOOOARRRR! **_ROOOOOARRRR!** RRROOOARRRRRRR!**_

The dragon slayers dropped to their knees.. all of them.. staring in unbelief…

The mages below looked up in fear… and froze…

_Dragons… were coming out of the black hole…._

"DRAGONS ARE COMING OUT OF THERE!" Lyon yelled. "WE HAVE TO STOP THE SPELL NOW!"

"MIRA! FREED! COVER ME!" Erza yelled. "YUKA WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"ERZA! OVER HERE!" Yuka yelled..

Erza located Yuka over near Lyon.. she blasted over and grabbed him by his armpits.. flying towards Yukino… Mira in her Satan Soul: Sitri form.. Freed was in his Dark Écriture: Darkness mode…

"I NEED A DISTRACTION! GET ZEREF OUT OF HERE!" Erza thought projected..

"WE GOTTA GET DOWN THERE NOW! THEY NEED US!" Natsu yelled looking at the demon team closing in onto Yukino. Zeref watching them approach.. ready to attack with his arms stretched out..

"Hold on" Laxus growled.. outstretching his arms.. the dragons slayers quickly linked hands…

CRAACCKK BOOOOMMMM~!

A huge thunderstrike appeared, hitting the middle of the crater.. and soon Zeref was being attacked by all the dragon slayers..

SKY DRAGONS-IRON DRAGONS-LIGHTNING DRAGONS-WHITE DRAGONS-SHADOW DRAGONS-FIRE DRAGONS-ROOOOARR!

They pushed Zeref back with the massive unison raid… pushing him away from Yukino….

Erza and Yuka arrived… with Mira and Freed fighting off the monsters around them..

Yuka yelled. "WAVE SEAL!"

A wave circled Yukino and prevented the Black Hole spell from continuing into completion.

The demon team fought hard to protect Yuka.. and above.. the black hole halted in spitting out debris and the dragons.. a dragon head was fully visible with a claw.. the dragon roared…

Yuka was sweating bullets.. trying to maintain his seal on Yukino….

Zeref was annoyed now… "_**Death Wave…**_"

A dark wave came towards the dragon slayers… and they noticed.. that it was killing everything in its path… they were wide-eyed.. and tried to jump out of they way…

At a distance away… "Lucy" was fighting with Shadow Gear, Cana, and Gildarts… she and Gildarts.. happened to be quite the destructive pair… and were making progress towards the center of the crater… when she saw the dark wave emitting from Zeref.. towards the dragon slayers….

With a bright light… "Lucy" disappeared… leaving Gildarts to become wide-eyed… and frantically look around… for Lucy..

"LUCY! DON'T DO IT!" Gildarts yelled.. his heart sank… he hoped.. hoped that he could change her mind… if he made sure… that her clone was safe…

Everyone around Gildarts look towards him while they fought the monsters.. and also looked around for a certain blonde.. when not being able to locate her… each one… felt a dread… they noticed the many injured mages.. blood stains were everywhere on the ground… their fellow mages were all bloody and injured… everyone was tired.. and above.. a dangerous spell… that would most certainly be the end of them all… covered the sky darkly..

In an instant… every fairy tail mage's guild mark… began to glow…

Zeref watched the dark wave hit the dragon slayers… "_You didn't stand a chance…._"

But as the dark wave became to disappear… Zeref's eyes widened in shock… before him.. stood the dragon slayers unharmed…

Sting and Rogue behind the fairy tail mages… their guild marks glowing.. and a light barrier shielding them from Zeref… a familiar light magic…..

He narrowed his eyes… "Mavis... Lumeroy….."

Above… the Bomber Christina was continuing to fire onto the monsters below… and had anchored to side of a mountain peak… to prevent the battle ship from crashing into a mountain and exploding…

Mavis stood on top of the Christina watching everything… she smiled…  
"Lumeroy…Lucy... thank you.. "

* * *

At the guild… Lucy was concentrating on absorbing Lumen Histoire's magic… she had her eyes closed… and hadn't noticed that her own guild mark was glowing…

* * *

Back on the battle field… the mages had finally cut through.. and dwindled down Zeref's army… Master Makarov.. Master Goldmine… Master Bob.. were fighting alongside each other.. and the surrounding mages were amazed at how compatible they were with each other…

"Feels like old times doesn't it?" Bob said smirking.. kicking monster butt. Phasing through them. And attacking them from behind..

"Yea.. though you've seem to have gotten rusty there Makarov." Goldmine said smirking while blasting away several monsters.

"I AM NOT RUSTY! I'LL SHOW YOU HOW YOUNG I STILL AM!" Makarov said in his titan form.

With that being said.. Makarov picked up the guild masters…. Kagura.. Babasaama.. Goldmine.. and Bob… and stomped over laughing aloud towards the center where Zeref was being attacked.. crushing the monsters under his feet like insects on the way…

"You've become old and crazy Makarov…." Goldmine sweatdropped… so did the rest of the masters…

He let them down.. and soon.. the guild masters were facing Zeref as well… all five.. stood tall and battle ready..

"Natsu… Wendy.. Gajeel.. Laxus.. go help the others.. We will fight Zeref…" Makarov said in a booming low voice…

Sting stood with the guild masters… and stared Zeref down… the dragon slayers not wanting to argue at the moment.. went off to help the demon team..

Rogue was fighting about the monsters now… but he noticed at the corner of his eyes.. Yukino… but she was… fading!

He punched the last monster attacking him and ran towards her… "Yukino!"

"What's happening to her!?" He said as he came up to Yuka…

"She's… using too much of her magic power.. the spell.. is sucking her magic dry… so much that her body is deteriorating…" Yuka said panting.. struggling to keep the magic seal on her…

Rogue just stared at her… "Yukino…. Please.. stop…" He ran up to her.. and held her shoulders… Yukino just looked back at Rogue with a blank face…. "Yukino! Please! Stop the spell!" he pleaded… tears streaming down his face…. He stood quietly when he saw…

Yukino with her blank face.. tears came sliding down her face… her fading away…. And then… she turned to dust…..in Rogue's hands…

"YUUUUUKIIIINNNNNOOOOOOO!" Rogue roared..

Yuka's wave seal disappeared and he stood mortified.. looking at the very location Yukino was standing moments before… but now… she was gone…he quickly glanced upwards.. the black hole… was getting smaller… and the dragons that were trying to come out from it… roared from anger… unable to come out as the black hole reversed and was slowly sucking things back in…

Sting stood frozen as he watched Rogue hold out his hands… dust falling from them…. He saw her disappear…..

3

2

1

BAM! Sting punched at Zeref but he blocked it with his hands.. and Zeref sent Sting flying back with a wave of black magic..

Kagura attacked next… "GRAVITY CHANGE!"

Zeref.. had a hard time standing.. and so the guild masters attacked him in various unison raids.. Huge waves of magic aura coming from them through the blasts..

* * *

Several hours later… Zeref's monsters had finally dwindled down to a few hundred… but everyone… was exhausted… and could do little to defend themselves.. Levy was leaning onto Gajeel… blood running down her face.. Gajeel… bloody all over… Erza and Jellal.. fighting back to back… panting… sweat and blood on their bodies… Mira and Freed no longer in their demon forms… Evergreen in Elfman's arms… as she was unconscious… Wendy and Romeo… back to back… wincing in pain..

Natsu all the while… fighting… he was almost at his limit…. Also injured all over…

Laxus.. having a hard time seeing.. as blood was dripping down his forehead… over his eyes.. he had several injuries..

Zeref had a bloody arm… his careless mistake allowed him to get injured.. before him stood the might guild masters… heaving for breath.. on the floor… he looked around.. and saw his army had dwindled down.. and the mages were continuing to reject him…. To fight him…

"Enough… I end this now" Zeref said as he lifted his arms… and made a seal with his hands…

The guild masters all looked at Zeref in fear…. This war was far from over… they thought they were so close…. Had they failed… Master Makarov.. closed his eyes… "was it inevitable.." he thought.

Soon… the very monsters that were "defeated"… rose again…. And everyone looked in horror… as they became surrounded… and utterly defenseless….

_**"Goodbye… Natsu…****"**_ Zeref said as he eyed Natsu from afar… Natsu seething with anger… as he stared down Zeref…

.

A voice…. Barely audible….through all the roaring of the monsters… the mages looked around… confused…  
Soft.. soothing… someone.. was calling out for them… it echoed throughout the crater…

.

Bright lights engulfed them…. The special chosen nine….

* * *

Back at the lumen histoire…

Lucy stood staring softly at the crystal… her hand gently rubbing its surface…

She stood up straight…. And in a confident voice…

.

_9 bodies dance in the void_

_all together and 8 around one_

_one foundation one light _

_brings together all to light_

_and together they dance a celestial waltz_

_bound to one another by a heavenly bond_

_**virtus caelestis corporis**_

_**.**_

* * *

9 bright lights were shining in the crater.. admidst the sea of monsters… everyone looked in shock at the lights… and when the lights finally faded away… what was there in its place… made everyone's spirits rise…. On their backs…

Juvia.. Neptune's mark

Gray… Uranus' mark

Master Makarov… Saturn's mark

Laxus… Jupitor's mark

Erza… Mars' mark

Gajeel… Earth's mark

Mira… Venus' mark

Wendy… Mercury's mark

Natsu…. The Sun

They all appeared.. in heavenly celestial armor…. The magic pressure emitting from their bodies… made the monsters step away from them… and was truly… AMAZING…

Zeref narrowed his eyes…. they felt completely different…. So much more powerful now… he had enough of their incessant will to survive.. and live on this earth… He was about to attack when…

Laxus began to emit great electricity from his body…. Every mage from the alliance could feel the static in the air….

"Warren… tell everyone to step back…" Master Makarov said in a low voice… a serious expression was all Warren needed to see as a sign to get out of their way…

With a nod… warren warned everyone through his telekinesis to retreat from the battle… the guild masters looked at Makarov and the other transformed members of Fairy Tail... it didn't take them any further persuasion.. they would leave the battle to them... as much as Sting wanted to fight.. to avenge Yukino... he knew... he would not stand a chance... static in the air increased as Laxus began to increase his magic pressure…

Soon.. Zeref stood facing the nine… and his army of monsters were encircling them… some of them had run after the mages that were retreating as well…

They knew that once they give Zeref the chance to attack.. they might not be able to survive… and so they decided to attack as fast as possible…

"**BY NEPTUNE'S POWER: OCEANS OF 14 MOONS**!" Juvia yelled.. and from outstretched arms… a massive tsunami wave shot out from her magic seal… flooding the monsters in front of her.. washing and drowning them away from them… it circled around them… as Juvia could control her water.. and she swept most of the monsters away as the water flooded out of the crater between the mountain valleys…

All the while, Erza flew into the air.. and Wendy's body began to light up once again… Her face full of anger towards Zeref… "**BY MERCURY: ARMS X ARMOR X HEALING X VERNIER**!"

All nine began to glow with bright lights.. color according to their matching planets.. and their injuries began to heal… rather their injuries sizzled off.. it was amazing how much faster Wendy's spell casting had gotten..

Gajeel inhaled deeply… "**BY EARTH: IRON DRAGON'S STORMING ROAR!**"

Zeref blasted a dark wave and counteracted the attack… but oddly a mist of gray was blown at him… and he was hit with the annoying mist…

Laxus jumped into the air.. "**BY JUPITER: LIGHTNING DRAGON'S WHEEL**!" a large turning barrel of lightning shot towards Zeref… he dodged it.. but the lightning attack followed him and blasted him backwards… Zeref sailed backwards surprised…. Then it hit him… the gray mist was a mist of iron particles… that conducted the lightning attack towards him..

Mira was in her celestial demon form… "**BY VENUS' POWER: MORNING STAR**"

and she appeared above Zeref in a flash… punched him in the stomach.. causing Zeref to blast into the ground…the light from the blast was so bright.. it could have lit up like a star...

Once the water levels had receded as Juvia directed her water attack away from the crater… Gray took advantage of the wet battle grounds…

"**BY URANUS: ICE PALACE!**" soon the whole crater had frozen over.. the remaining monsters that hadn't gotten swept away by Juvia's Oceans of 14 Moons, were frozen solid in their tracks… completely frozen in huge blocks of ice…

Zeref even was frozen over after he was punched into the ground.. but that wasn't going to be enough… soon.. a dark mist began to appear within the ice around Zeref's body.. and broke through the ice.. Zeref sat up.. and was leaning on his clenched hands…

But he wasn't given a moments rest..

"**BY SATURN'S POWER: TITANS RINGS!**" Master Makarov yelled. Bright rings of light appeared in the sky.. and plummeted towards Zeref… they bound and tightened around him… his dark magic could be seen fighting the light rings… they were complete opposites…

And as Zeref was preoccupied with getting himself lose… above.. in the sky…

Thanks to the cover of the dark clouds above… she was able to prepare unnoticed…

"**By Mars : WAR MAIDENS IRON SKY!**" Erza thrust her sword toward Zeref… and soon after.. the whole sky seemed to move… but in fact.. it was a sky filled with thousands and thousands of iron swords… that plummeted towards the Earth… pinpointed…

at Zeref.

He looked up only in time to plummeted by the swords…. His body was getting cut… and he could feel.. pain…

"_what an odd feeling…_" Zeref thought to himself… "**I don't like this pain.**."

His body began to be surrounded by a dark aura.. "_**Death Pillar.**_"

A huge blast appeared in the middle of the 8 opponents… Erza still in the air… They were all blasted back… and skid across the ground..

Zeref stood up… bloody and a mess…. His bangs were covering his eyes… all around him were Erza's swords… and stuck in the Earth close to each other… encircling Zeref all around…

Erza landed next to her comrades…. The 8 slowly stood up… not willing to back down…

* * *

Lucy was sweating… breathing hard… she slid down onto a knee… still having both hands on the dragon lacrima….

"_Hurry…._" She pleaded…


End file.
